Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget Information Security Review, published on 9 February 2026, whether monitoring and recording of access to documents classified as Budget - Market Sensitive will include Ministers.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Yes.
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 2 March 2026, to Question 115433, on Cabinet Office: Social Media, when the Cabinet Office answers to Parliamentary Questions on departmental spending by the Cabinet Office, whether expenditure relating to the Prime Minister’s Office are (a) included or (b) excluded.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The figures provided on Cabinet Office spending do not include the Prime Minister’s Office.
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 Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question HL14053 on Public Appointments: Political Activities, if he will place in the Library a copy of the full political activity data for each public appointment where political activity was declared for the 2024-25 year.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon. Gentleman to PQ 103784.
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 12 February 2026 to question 110013, whether the incorrect expenditure was included in the audited financial statements within the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The expenditure is included in the audited financial statements. However, an administrative error meant this amount was not disclosed in the separate, unaudited breakdown of Cabinet away day costs provided on page 67. This will be explained in next year's annual report.
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 letter from the Cabinet Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of 11 November 2025, and with reference to the Updated Desk Note: Making Direct Ministerial Appointments issued in 27 June 2024, whether a Minister authorised the document in June 2024.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office regularly provides advice and information to help departments implement government policy. Routine support by officials is part of the normal workings of government.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there is a standing policy that Permanent Secretaries should receive a knighthood or damehood after a set number of years.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
All honours nominees are considered by one of ten independent honours committees, each chaired by an independent member and comprising a majority of independent members. Permanent Secretaries are considered by the State Committee, with each case considered on its merits.
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 January 2025 to Question 21399 on Cabinet Office: Staff, how many headcount staff work in the EU Relations Secretariat as of 20 February 2026; and how many are EU citizens.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As of February 2026, there are around 80 members of staff in the EU Relations Secretariat. A detailed breakdown for the structure for the European Relations Secretariat is available as part of the Cabinet Office organogram of Staff Roles & Salaries on gov.uk.
Data is not held regarding the citizenships of staff members, however, data on the wider Civil Service, including on nationality, is published regularly on gov.uk.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance the Propriety and Ethics Team has issued to Departments on accepting hospitality from consultant lobbyist firms.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Ministerial Code sets out the principles ministers must consider when deciding whether to accept hospitality.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether political due diligence is undertaken as part of a Developed Vetting security check.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
National Security Vetting is made up of multiple checks from a variety of sources, these checks are designed to identify risk and mitigations as well as verifying information provided by the vetting applicant. A comprehensive description of the Developed Vetting process can be found on gov.uk.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Government Property Agency (i) has made since July 2024 and (ii) plans to make changes to government property spending controls.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Office of Government Property, within the Cabinet Office, administers the property spend control on behalf of HM Treasury. The last changes to the property spend control were made in May 2024.
At Budget 2025 the government announced reforms to the public spending control and accountability framework. Controls currently delegated to the central government functions, will be replaced by a multi-disciplinary single approval point in HM Treasury for above delegated authority limit spend (DAL).
For below DAL spend, departments will be responsible for ensuring they draw on appropriate functional expertise in their decision-making processes.