Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, further to the Cabinet Office press release entitled Young people from all backgrounds to get opportunity to study abroad as UK-EU deal unlocks Erasmus+, published on 17 December 2025, on what basis was the £570 million a year cost calculated; and what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public pursue of (a) EU students studying in the UK and (b) UK students studying in the EU.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire to the answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 107708.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2025 to Question 74531 on Ministers' Private Offices: Civil Service, what the title and grade was of that appointment; and for what reason that appointment was made by exception.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The appointment related to a short-term transfer from another Government department that was made at a junior grade. An exception was used to make this appointment quickly, selecting an individual who already possessed the essential skills and experience required to perform the role. This role was subsequently confirmed through fair and open competition.
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 2 February 2026 to Question 107710, on Erasmus+ programme: flags, whether any other Government programme in Great Britain will now be required to follow European Commission communication and visibility rules.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2021/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 establishing Erasmus+: the Union Programme for education and training, youth and sport and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 (“the Erasmus+ Regulation”) sets out the requirements for information, communication and dissemination which apply to the Erasmus+ programme.
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 2 February 2026 to Question 107710 on Erasmus+ programme: flags, whether the European Commission communication and visibility rules will apply to universities participating in the scheme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2021/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 establishing Erasmus+: the Union Programme for education and training, youth and sport and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 (“the Erasmus+ Regulation”) sets out the requirements for information, communication and dissemination which apply to the Erasmus+ programme.
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 2 February 2026, to Question 107710, on Erasmus+ programme: flags, which legal instrument sets out the European Commission communication and visibility rules.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2021/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 establishing Erasmus+: the Union Programme for education and training, youth and sport and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 (“the Erasmus+ Regulation”) sets out the requirements for information, communication and dissemination which apply to the Erasmus+ programme.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on X premium, and on which tier, in the last 12 months.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office has spent £302.40 on X premium for two subscriptions in the last 12 months.
(i) COBR’s National Situation Centre paid for its National Security Watchkeepers to access the X-Premium+ service X Pro. The National Security Watchkeepers use X Pro, and other tools, to monitor open source information to identify national security and civil contingencies risks.
(ii) Fast Stream and Emerging Talent spent £100.80 on X Premium membership in FY25/26. This was mainly because it provides access to an analytics dashboard, not available on the free version, to monitor campaign effectiveness. It also allows for longer posts, enabling us to better engage with our target audience. This membership will not be renewed for the next financial year.
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 26 November 2025 to Question 92012 on Cabinet Office: training, if he will publish a breakdown of costs for the £5,288.40 spent on the away days.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The cost of Cabinet away days are disclosed in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts. Some of the costs were inadvertently omitted from the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25 due to an administrative error. The total cost incurred was £8,248.40
The Cabinet away day taking place at The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office came at a cost of £2,960 for catering.
The Cabinet away day taking place at Lancaster House came at a cost of £5,288.40, covering expenses for AV, catering, security and staff.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether life peers who are on a Leave of Absence may be removed from the Roll of the Peerage.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The June 2004 Royal Warrant provided for the creation and maintenance of the Roll of the Peerage. Under the terms of the Warrant, any person entered on the Roll may apply to be removed from it, including life peers who are on a Leave of Absence.
The Government has announced that it will introduce legislation to allow peerages to be removed from disgraced peers.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the proposed dynamic alignment with the EU will prevent the adoption of gene-edited crops under the provisions of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra remains committed to implementing the Precision Breeding Act and enabling the safe development of innovative genetic technologies
Under the UK-EU Common Understanding, it is recognised that there will be areas where the UK will retain its own rules. The detail of those areas is now part of ongoing negotiations. Throughout this process, Defra has been clear on the importance of maintaining the UK’s ability to regulate precision breeding in a way that supports innovation, gives farmers access to new tools, and upholds high standards of safety.
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 26 November 2025 to Question 92286 on Government Departments: Official Cars, which Government Departments have access to a official car that can be used by civil servants.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my answer on 26 November 2025 (PQ 92286).