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 January 2026 to Question 104623 on Cabinet Office: Proof of Identity, whether other government departments will be required to make savings to help fund the digital ID scheme.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As per the answer provided by the Hon. Member for Makerfield on 19 January, the policy remains in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.
The Government has now launched a public consultation on making public services work for you with your digital identity. We are inviting the public to be part of a national conversation on how we can make it trusted, useful and inclusive.
We will focus on use cases that are most impactful for the public. Cost savings and efficiency will help determine our areas of focus.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2026, to Question 110806, on Palantir, whether any other defence or Armed Forces staff accompanied the UK's Defence Attaché to the United States on the visit.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK Defence Attaché to the United States was the only representative from the Ministry of Defence present during the meeting. There were approximately 11 uniformed personnel and civil servants who also attended to observe a technology demonstration at Palantir HQ.
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 March 2026, to Question 115552, on Public Appointments, if he will publish his Department's own guidance on how to undertake due diligence that was approved by the Cabinet Office Accounting Officer.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office conducts due diligence on all shortlisted candidates prior to interview. As outlined in our candidate packs, these checks include a review of self-declarations from candidates and an assessment of information in the public domain related to a candidate’s conduct and professional capacity. These checks are then provided to the appointing Minister to inform their final decision.
Central guidance is provided to all Cabinet Office teams to ensure a consistent approach; however, we do not routinely publish internal policy documents.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the terms of reference were of the fact-finding exercise of the General Counsel to the Prime Minister in the context of the return to the Humble Address; and whether there was a report of that exercise.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2025, to Question 84664, on Universities: Admissions, if she will publish the terms of reference of the task and finish group into higher education admissions; and what the definition is of disadvantaged backgrounds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Terms of Reference of the Access and Participation Task and Finish Group were published on GOV.UK in February 2026:
The Task and Finish Group’s remit is to consider regional disparities and how to tackle the most systemic barriers across the journey into higher education for disadvantaged students.
The department has not issued direct guidance to the group on the definition of disadvantage for admission purposes.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason Matthew Doyle was asked to undertake supplementary due diligence on Lord Mandelson being appointed as Ambassador, and whether the nature of Mr Doyle’s relationship with Mandelson was (a) declared or (b) considered as a potential conflict of interest.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to his oral statement of 9 February 2026, on Updates on Standards in Public Life, what are the terms of reference of the review of the (a) declaration and publication of financial interests, (b) transparency around lobbying and (c) use of non-corporate communication channels within Government; and whether these reviews will be conducted by (i) the Cabinet Office or (ii) the Ethics and Integrity Commission.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Prime Minister has asked the Ethics and Integrity Commission to conduct a review of the current arrangements relating to financial disclosures for ministers and senior officials, transparency around lobbying and the business appointment rules. A letter from the Prime Minister to the Chair of the Ethics and Integrity Commission setting out the terms of reference for the review is on gov.uk at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ethics-and-integrity-commission-to-review-lobbying-disclosure-and-access-to-government
Further details on the review of use of non-corporate communication channels within Government will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2026, to Question 101069, on Erasmus+ Programme, what is the estimated ratio of the number of UK students who will visit the European Union, and the number of EU students who will visit the UK, in the first year of the programme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In 2018/19, there were approximately 31,000 inbound higher education (HE) student mobilities via the Erasmus+ Programme. There were approximately 16,000 outbound HE student mobilities in the same year.
The department expects there will be a greater number of HE mobilities on reassociation, given the expansion of the programme.
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 amend his Department's guidance to civil servants, Ministers and special advisers on using non-corporate communication devices.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire to my replies to his Parliamentary Questions 112176 and 112653. The current guidance was issued under the previous government. We plan to review the way that non-corporate communication channels are used in Government and to update the accompanying guidance to reflect the changes in the ways we use technology.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, through what oral, written or electronic mechanism does the Prime Minister provide his feedback to Ministerial submissions in his daily box.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As has been the case under successive administrations, there are a range of different ways that ministers respond to advice.