To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


View sample alert

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Government Actuary's Department: Freedom of Information
Tuesday 3rd February 2026

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 8 January 2026, to Question 101383, on Government Actuary's Department: Freedom of Information, what the total cost would be in cash terms over 99 years without net present value discounting.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answers I gave on this and other matters during the Urgent Question debate on 26 January. As an expert in the financial services industry, he will understand that it is simply wrong to ignore the effects of inflation and the changing value of money on the real costs of a deal that lasts 99 years.


Written Question
Universities: China
Monday 2nd February 2026

Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department issues guidance on membership of the Chinese Communist Party being a declarable interest for university senior staff and trustees.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines the information for England only.

Higher education (HE) providers are independent and autonomous bodies, and as such are responsible for designing and implementing their own policies.

As the independent regulator, it is the role of the Office for Students to monitor and assess registered universities’ compliance with its conditions of registration, including those relating to good governance, and to take regulatory action where they have been breached. This includes that higher education providers must uphold public interest governance principles, which encompasses management of conflicts of interest.

We are clear that foreign interference in the HE sector is unacceptable, and whilst there are a range of existing requirements on universities to protect against it, we believe more should be done to support providers to proportionately mitigate risk. We set out our considerations in the ‘Future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act’ policy paper published in June 2025, and are taking steps to share good practice, raise awareness and develop new responses where necessary.


Written Question
Government Art Collection
Monday 2nd February 2026

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 18 December 2025 to Question HL12794 on Government Art Collection, if she will list the (a) date received, (b) reference number, (c) date substantively answered, (d) substantive response, and (e) broad request, of each Freedom of information request received by his Department relating to the Government Art Collection across the last 12 months.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DCMS has received 45 requests relating to the Government Art Collection since 4 July 2024. All Freedom of Information requests are considered on their individual merits in accordance with the relevant legislation.


Written Question
Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Freedom of Information
Monday 2nd February 2026

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, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Freedom of Information Act disclosure, reference FOI2025/05106, of 8 July 2025.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

I will deposit a copy of FOI2025/05106 in the Libraries of both Houses.


Written Question
Department for Business and Trade: Freedom of Information
Thursday 29th January 2026

Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Freedom of Information Act disclosure, reference FOI2025/09531, of 16 September 2025.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I’ve given him on 29 January 2026 for question UIN 107051. Given that the information the hon. Member seeks has been published in that answer, I have no plans to place a copy of the Freedom of Information disclosure he mentions in the Library.


Written Question
Special Advisers: Email
Tuesday 27th January 2026

Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 18 December 2025 (HL12743), whether guidance or advice on the use of email has been provided to cross-government special advisers other than non-corporate communications guidance in the past six months; and if so, whether that advice included guidance on (1) placing, or not placing, specific content on government email accounts, and (2) the application of the Freedom of Information Act to corporate and non-corporation communications.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of 18 December 2025, Official Report, PQ HL12743:

$08122025|4|W|22122025|Lord Jackson of Peterborough||To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 25 November (HC91373), whether guidance has been given informally to special advisers through cross-government special adviser meetings about (1) including, or (2) excluding, information on email or other corporate communications. HL12743


Answer: There is guidance in place when it comes to the use of non-corporate communications channels, available on gov.uk.


Written Question
China: Fishing Vessels
Tuesday 27th January 2026

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information she holds on the reasons for China’s recent mobilisation of fishing boats to form floating barriers.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are aware of media reporting regarding a recent mobilisation of Chinese fishing vessels in the East China Sea. The UK has enduring interests in the Indo-Pacific and is committed to maintaining regional security and stability. We are committed to international law, the primacy of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and to freedom of navigation and overflight.


Written Question
Lord Mandelson
Tuesday 27th January 2026

Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 17 December 2025 (HL12793) and 5 January (HL13110), and with reference to paragraph 223 of the Guide to Parliamentary Work and paragraph 1.6(d) of the Ministerial Code, what is the public interest basis in terms similar to those in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for neither confirming or denying whether Lord Mandelson has received a severance payment in relation to his role as Ambassador to the USA.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

It has been the normal practice under successive governments, including the one in which the Noble Lord served, for the details of individual severance payments received by ministers to be disclosed on a named basis in departmental annual reports, but for payments made to senior officials, special advisers and other employees to be disclosed anonymously.


Written Question
Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information
Wednesday 21st January 2026

Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to respond to the Freedom of Information Act request by the hon. Member for Newton Abbot on records of meetings between Boris Johnson and Peter Thiel.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office responded to the Hon. Member’s request on 8 January 2026, within the statutory time limit.


Written Question
Ministry of Justice: Freedom of Information
Wednesday 21st January 2026

Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government which Minister acted as the qualified person in regard to FOI request 251030055, which asked for the briefing pack used by Paul Candler, Policy Director at the Ministry of Justice when he appeared before the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Committee on 29 October 2025 to be shared.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

I can confirm that I acted as the qualified person for this Freedom of Information Act request.