Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with the European Union on fishing rights.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We are discussing a range of issues with the EU and I met my counterpart Maroš Šefčovič in London last week (29 April). We will not give a running commentary on those discussions. We remain committed to protecting the interests of our fishers and meeting our commitments on marine protection.
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 make it his policy to stop public bodies imposing equality, diversity and inclusion requirements on private sector companies which are not otherwise directly required by primary legislation.
Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
The Public Sector Equality Duty (the PSED) requires organisations in scope to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people.
The scope of the PSED is set out in the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). It extends to all public authorities listed in Schedule 19 of the Act and all parties carrying out public functions. This includes private sector and voluntary organisations when carrying out public functions.
The Government expects regulating public authorities to ensure organisations comply with their legal requirements. It is not the role of regulators to intervene where legal requirements do not apply.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 December 2024 to Question 20489 on Treasury: Media, on what basis Freuds Communication was given the contract for Ministerial media training; and whether there was a competitive tendering process.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The award of the contract complied with HM Treasury’s standard procurement procedure for requirements of this value and was awarded following a competitive process.
Guidance for the award of below-threshold contracts is publicly available on gov.uk: Guidance: Below-Threshold Contracts (HTML) - GOV.UK
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question
To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 42602 on Stonewall: Subscriptions, whether the National Audit Office pays subscription fees to Stonewall.
Answered by Clive Efford
The National Audit Office does not pay subscriptions to Stonewall.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued on transparency in relation to levels of remuneration for direct ministerial appointments.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office has not issued specific guidance on transparency around remuneration offered when making direct ministerial appointments.
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 use AI technology for public appointments.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
AI technology is not currently used in the public appointments process. AI technology may be used in the future to support certain elements of the process.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether appointments to the Regulatory Innovation Office will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the Chair appointment will be classified as a significant appointment.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) was established as an Office within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in 2024 to support regulators to update regulation, speed up approvals, and ensure different regulatory bodies work together smoothly. The Department will continue to evaluate and review the RIO’s governance arrangements and objectives to ensure its work aligns with transformative goals and delivers effective regulatory solutions. There are no immediate plans to seek inclusion on the Public Bodies Order in Council which would lead to regulation by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA).
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 17 December 2024 to Question 19635 on Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review, if he will publish the full terms of reference.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Prime Minister announced on 25 February in the House that a single national security strategy would be published before the NATO summit in June 2025. A full terms of reference for the National Security Strategy will not be published, however the Strategy’s core aims are to:
Cohere national security related reviews into a single narrative.
Articulate the Government’s priorities in the national security space with the aim of making sure the country is safer, growing securely, and increasingly resilient against interconnected threats.
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 17 December 2024 to Question 19408 on 10 Downing Street: Staff, how many (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers are assigned to work on foreign policy matters.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 17 December 2024, Official Report, PQ 19408.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the wage bill of the (a) Civil Service, (b) central Government Departments and (c) public sector was in (i) June 2024 and (ii) the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Salary data for the Civil Service is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics, an Accredited Official Statistics release, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024. The most recent estimated salary cost figures as at 31st March 2024 were provided in response to Peter Bedford MP’s question on 16th October 2024. Civil Service Statistics 2025 is due to be published on 30 July 2025.
The Cabinet Office does not hold information on the wage bill for the wider public sector.