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 21 July 2025 to Question HL9163 on Government Departments: Regulation, how many authorisations have been made within this Department.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon gentleman to the answer for PQ HL9163 of 21 July 2025.
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 7 July 2025 to Question 63325 on Armed Forces Day: Flags, whether 10 Downing Street flew the Armed Forces Day flag on Armed Forces Day in June 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Armed Forces flag was flown in Downing Street for Armed Forces Day.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's planned timetable is for the publication of the seventh UK National Action Plan for Open Government; and what consultation his Department has undertaken in relation to the sixth UK National Action Plan for Open Government since it was published in December 2023.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Seventh National Action Plan for Open Government (NAP7) will be developed next year with final publication by 31 December 2026. Simultaneously, the UK is co-chairing the OGP Action Framework Task Force with the goal of making the action framework more user-friendly, agile and less bureaucratic.
During the implementation of the UK National Action Plan for Open Government 2024-2025 (NAP6), the UK Multi-Stakeholder Forum for Open Government (MSF) met on two occasions on 24th January 2024, and 17th July 2024, with further meetings under development, and Government teams responsible for commitments continued engagement with their stakeholders throughout implementation.
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 3 July 2025 to Question 62992 on Civil Servants: Media and Public Speaking, what representations has the Cabinet Office received in relation to the new guidance on civil servants speaking in public.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Three FOIs, two PQs and a number of letters have been received regarding the guidance in question.
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 his Department's news story entitled Appointment to Cabinet Office Board, published on 19 August 2025, whether Greg Jackson (a) made a declaration of political activity and (b) was selected through open and fair competition.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Greg Jackson has disclosed his interests in line with all of the relevant guidance and has declared no political activity.
Greg was appointed via a fair and open recruitment competition in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, overseen by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
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 Prime Minister's oral contribution of 3 September 2025 in response to the Rt hon. Member for North West Essex during Prime Minister's Questions, Official Report, Column 281, on what date the Deputy Prime Minister informed the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards that she had not correctly paid stamp duty.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The former Deputy Prime Minister referred herself to the Independent Advisor on Ministerial Standards on Wednesday 3 September.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much facility time is provided to the PCS trade union in (a) ONS and (b) UKSA in (i) monetary terms, (ii) headcount and (iii) as a percentage of paybill; and whether check-off facilities are provided.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 29th August is attached.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the PCS press release entitled PCS industrial action escalated at ONS, published on 7 August 2025, what steps are being taken by the Office of National Statistics in response to the zero-office attendance policy.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 29th August is 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, 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/