Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the National Security Adviser is (a) secretary of the National Security Council, (b) head of the National Security Secretariat and (c) Principal Accounting Officer for the Single Intelligence Account.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The role of secretary to the National Security Council is fulfilled by the Deputy National Security Advisers. The Executive Deputy National Security Adviser is the corporate head of the National Security Secretariat. The Cabinet Secretary is the Principal Accounting Officer for the Single Intelligence Account.
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 3 June 2025 to Question 53890 on Civil Servants: Media and Public Speaking, and 18 June 2025 to Question 59753 on Civil Servants: Media and Public Speaking, if he will publish the guidance issued to civil servants.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Civil Service Management Code makes clear that civil servants “must clear in advance material for publication, broadcasts or other public discussion which draws on official information or experience.”
As it has done for several years, the Government continues to approve public activity by civil servants on a case-by-case basis. Informal, internal guidance is available to support this decision-making process. There are no plans to publish this.
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 ministerial statement of 19 June 2025, HCWS718, on House of Lords Appointments, whether the Prime Minister has a numerical target for the number of peerages that he will invite from HOLAC in each year of this Parliament.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As set out in the Prime Minister’s recent statement, the Prime Minister will continue to invite nominations from the House of Lords Appointments Commission for individuals to sit as Crossbench peers. Future appointments will be announced in the usual way.
The number of nominations that HOLAC can make is a matter for the Prime Minister.
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 25 June 2025 to Question 62086 on King Charles III: Artworks, whether (a) the BBC and (b) Channel 4 took up the offer from the Cabinet Office of a free portrait of the King to place in their offices.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As eligible public institutions, both the BBC and Channel 4 placed orders for Official Portraits of His Majesty The King while the Government scheme was operational, for the purposes of display in their buildings.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK to deliver on 5% NATO pledge as Government drives greater security for working people, published on 23 June 2025, what his Department's methodological definition of resilience and security spending is under the new 5 percent defence spending target.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government defines defence and national security spending in line with NATO's definition. NATO's definition of defence and security related expenditure includes areas such as strengthening the defence industrial base and our energy security, enhancing civil preparedness and resilience, and countering hybrid treats.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential costs of the Reform Party policy on the Britannia Card.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The OBR has certified that the non-dom reforms the Government have implemented will raise £33.8 billion in total revenue over the five-year forecast period. Abolishing these reforms would result in lost revenue that would need to be raised through higher taxation or cuts to spending on essential public services.
As the Chancellor set out at the Spring Statement, the Government will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that the new residence-based regime is internationally competitive and focused on attracting the best talent and investment to the UK.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential risks to Ministers of undertaking personal foreign travel without a security detail; what guidance he has provided to Ministers on this matter; and whether he plans to update his Department's guidance.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the Government's long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on matters of protective security. To do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.
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 23 June 2025 to Question 60822 on Public Buildings: Concrete, whether the Government Property Agency holds this information; and how many buildings in his Department have RAAC.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
As at February 2024, there were three Government Property Agency (GPA) buildings with confirmed presence of RAAC. None have been identified post 1st January 2025.
The GPA does not hold information on buildings across the wider public estate.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the UK-EU Summit - Common Understanding of 19 May 2025, what changes she plans to make to the university home fee status of students of EU/EEA nationality studying in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland; and what changes she plans to make to the fee status of previously overseas British citizens who intend to study in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
On 19 May 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, welcomed Presidents Von Der Leyen and Costa for the first ever summit between the UK and the EU and a deal was agreed which will deliver on what the British public voted for last year. This package delivers for the British people, without compromising on our red lines, no return to the customs union, no return to freedom of movement, and no rejoining the single market.
On home fee status, most new EU/EEA students who were not lawfully resident in the UK before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020 will pay international fees.
The Withdrawal Agreement provides that current EU principles of equal treatment continue to apply for those covered by the citizens’ rights provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement. This means that EU nationals lawfully resident in the UK before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020 are eligible in England for support on a similar basis as previously, subject to meeting the usual residency requirements, which are unchanged. Similar agreements have been signed with the European Economic Area (EEA) European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states and Switzerland.
UK nationals and their family members, living in the EEA or Switzerland at the end of the transition period will generally be eligible for home fee status, tuition fee and maintenance support from Student Finance England for courses starting on or after 1 August 2021 and before 1 January 2028, subject to meeting all other eligibility requirements.
There are no plans to make any changes to the fee status for these persons.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the FCDO press release LGBTQIA+ Legal Guidebook launched in Philippines for Pride Month published on 23 June 2025, if he will publish the legal guidebook.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The LGBTQIA+ Legal Guidebook has been published online on the website of TrustLaw, the Thomson Reuters Foundation's global pro-bono legal network.