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, whether Lord Mandelson was involved in the China Audit.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12 February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes 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, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40911 on Government Departments: Social Media, if he will update the guidance to require Ministers to declare (a) hospitality and (b) other meetings with senior media executives from (i) X, (ii) Meta and (iii) Tiktok.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
I refer the Hon Member to my previous answers [41868 and 40911]. Details of ministers’ official meetings with all external individuals and organisations are published on a quarterly basis.The Cabinet Office also publishes a monthly register of all gifts and hospitality received by ministers in a ministerial capacity. There are no current plans to include representatives of social media companies under the guidance for senior media figures.
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 (a) Cabinet Office and (b) the Government Car Service have issued to Ministers on the provision of official cars for travel inside London.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The arrangements relating to the usage of vehicles in the Government Car Service are set out in the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether 10 Downing Street had discussions with representatives of Global Counsel over the visit of the Prime Minister to the offices of Palantir with Lord Mandelson.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.
In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.
This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister discussed UK defence procurement of services from Palantir during his visit in February 2025.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.
In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.
This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.
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 13 October 2025 to Question 77563 on Palantir, whether there is a record of who the Prime Minister (a) met and (b) spoke to during that visit.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.
In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.
This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on grants being awarded to bodies with terms of reference that permit lobbying using grant funds.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Grant funding should be used for its intended purpose and deliver value for money. Undertaking lobbying activity using government grant funding is not permitted, except in rare cases where lobbying activity is expressly part of the purpose of the award of the grant.
This policy does not impinge on an organisation's ability to use funding from other, non-government sources, however they see fit.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish the Public Bodies Directory for 2025-26.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
An updated version of the Public Bodies landscape, covering data from 2024-25 will be published on gov.uk before the end of May 2026.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which official was the authoriser of the use of paid trade union facility time for trade union activities as set out in the Cabinet Office guidance on facility time.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office does not hold a record of the official and/or Minister who authorised the Cabinet Office guidance on facility time, when the guidance was first published in 2012.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what formal title and position John Pond held on 2 August 2009 within Downing Street.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It would not be appropriate to comment on individual staffing matters.