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, in what circumstances would the (a) Mauritius and (b) UK Government be able to terminate the UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia once it is in force.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of grounds for termination can be found under Article 15 of the Agreement.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Business Engagement Lead is a (a) special adviser, (b) direct ministerial appointment, (c) civil servant appointed by open and fair competition and (d) civil servant appointed by recruitment principles exemption.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
There is a business engagement team in HMT made up of civil servants recruited via fair and open competition.Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times the Treasury Board has met since 4 July 2024; and on what dates she attended.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are no plans for the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury to meet.
As set out in the Annual Report and Accounts, the Treasury Board met once since July 2024 and the Chancellor of the Exchequer was in attendance.
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 written statement of 21 July 2025 entitled Government of service, HCWS870, whether the reformed Committee on Standards in Public Life will have political members nominated by the main political parties in the House of Commons.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Ethics and Integrity Commission will be established in Autumn by the Government strengthening and reforming the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL). As with CSPL, the Ethics and Integrity Commission will continue to have political members nominated by the main political parties in the House of Commons.
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 11 June 2025 to Question 57229 on Lord Mandelson, whether Lord Mandelson is permitted to (a) speak publicly at Labour Party fundraising events and (b) raise funds for the Labour Party.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All senior civil servants, including members of the Diplomatic Service, are subject to the Civil Service Management Code.
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 the Liberal Democrat Chief Whip has been appointed as a member of the Parliamentary and Political Service Committee..
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committee (PPS Committee) is one of ten specialist honours committees, made up of individuals with considerable experience of the area the committee covers. The PPS Committee considers candidates for honours from the UK Parliament, the Devolved Legislatures, the staff of Westminster and other Assemblies, the staff of bodies which report to them, Party workers, councillors and others working for local government.
In order to broaden the pool of nominations considered by the committee and to increase transparency, the Liberal Democrat Chief Whip was asked to join the Committee in April 2025, in order to represent the third largest party in the House of Commons. The Liberal Democrat Chief Whip now sits on the committee alongside an independent chair and four independent members, appointed through a public appointments process, and the Chief Whips from the Government and the opposition.