Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 113723 on 10 Downing Street: Artworks, what the Government Art Collection reference number was of the portrait of Horatio Nelson previously installed in the state rooms of 10 Downing Street.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The portrait of Horatio Nelson previously on display in 10 Downing Street was a loan from the National Maritime Museum. The work is currently undergoing conservation and will be reinstated at 10 Downing Street when this work is complete.
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 page 35 of the Cabinet Office consultation paper on Digital ID, 10 March 2026, CP1498, whether his Department considered collecting data on sex for digital ID.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As set out in the Digital ID consultation paper, the national digital ID will only collect the minimum amount of data required to issue and manage securely. We are asking questions in the consultation about the type of data that should be included.
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 Cabinet Office consultation paper on Digital ID, 10 March 2026, CP1498, what the estimated gross cost is of the Digital ID programme.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The design and delivery of the national digital identity credential are subject to a public consultation, which launched Tuesday 10th March.
The design and delivery of digital ID are subject to the consultation outcomes. The feedback from the consultation will inform our final approach and enable a more accurate assessment of costs.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Civil Service Commission has received a Business Appointments application from the (1) departing chief executive of the Gambling Commission and (2) interim chief executive.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Employees of the Gambling Commission are not Crown servants and therefore not subject to the Business Appointments Applications process.
As required by the model contract for Public Bodies, the Gambling Commission has robust policies in place to manage business appointments and conflicts of interest, including clear obligations under their Employee Code of Conduct to ensure that the risk of conflicts of interest are considered at the earliest opportunity. The Commission is satisfied that appropriate mitigations are in place to manage and reduce the risk of any actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
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 March 2026 to Question 113613 on UK Integrated Security Fund: Equality, which Integrated Security Fund projects have been supported which relate to Gender Equality and Social Inclusion markers.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Member to answers given to Parliamentary Questions 91383 and 92006.
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 37424 on Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committee: Public Appointments, in how many cases have reserve lists been used to appoint a member to an honours committee since July 2024..
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Reserve lists have been used in one instance to appoint two members to an honours committee since July 2024.
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 February 2026, to Question 110020, on Cabinet Office: Public Appointments, if the Cabinet Office will make it their policy to update the Direct Ministerial Appointments portal to include the full details and terms of each serving Direct Ministerial Appointment that was appointed before the creation of the portal.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The responsibility for the publication of information on Direct Ministerial Appointments rests with individual sponsor departments, as it has done under successive administrations. Departments should add all existing DMAs to the portal.
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 February 2026, to Question 112168, on Government, if he will list the relevant stakeholders who were consulted in Summer 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer given to HL15004.
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, pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115117 on Jonathan Powell, for what reason the direct ministerial appointment of John Powell as Special Envoy in early August 2024 was not announced until 6 September 2024.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jonathan Powell was appointed in line with standard procedure, and his appointment announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether applicants for Developed Vetting are advised that giving false or misleading information, whether directly or by omission, would be a disciplinary offence.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Applicants and Clearance Holders, for all levels of National Security Vetting (NSV), are advised of their responsibilities with regard to the NSV process both at the point of data collection and through the ancillary guidance published on gov.uk. This includes the need for full and complete disclosure.
UKSV acts as a service provider for NSV only, any decision to take disciplinary action remains separate from NSV and would be undertaken by the employing authority.