Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether due diligence undertaken by his Department for the appointment of Lord Mandelson as Ambassador considered (a) Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and (b) Global Counsel’s work in China.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Due diligence was undertaken prior to the appointment of the former Ambassador to the United States, and was part of an established process to collate relevant information as part of the identification and selection of the appointee.
I refer the Hon. Member to the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 30 October 2025 to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, which sets out the process and information contained in the due diligence report: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50019/documents/269409/default/
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, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK–EU reset agreement on the (a) use and (b) sale of precision-bred (i) plants and (ii) animals.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We remain committed to moving forward with the Precision Breeding Act.
The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are now subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to support the use of new and innovative technologies.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025, to Question 82332 on Companies: Registration, for what reason Companies House recognises nations that the UK Government does not itself recognise.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The composition of the list of nationalities permitted for the purposes of company filings is a practical measure to ensure that the nationalities of directors are recorded consistently in the Register of Companies and are transparent to users of the Register.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025, to Question 64917 on Stamp Advisory Committee, whether papers for that Committee are held by officials in his Department.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Stamp Advisory Committee advises Royal Mail on future stamp designs. The Postal Museum’s online catalogue lists copies of Stamp Advisory Committee minutes which are available to the public for research in line with Royal Mail’s retention policy.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans for a social value model for defence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) makes a commitment to establish a Social Value Model that works for defence. This involves introducing a new approach to applying social value, aimed at encouraging industry to align with DIS objectives of fostering growth and a thriving industrial sector, while maximising the delivery of social value across the UK. While it is estimated this work will be completed shortly, and implemented in 2026-27, it will build on the existing Social Value opportunities that support DIS objectives.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71248 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, which aircraft were used for the Prime Minister’s seven domestic tasks.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The aircraft used for the Prime Minister's seven domestic tasks was the RAF Envoy.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2025, to Question 75999, on Submarines: Nuclear Weapons, whether the UK’s new F-35A air-launched nuclear capability will use sovereign warheads.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 September 2025 to Question 70471.
As confirmed when the Ministry of Defence announced our intention to participate in NATO’s nuclear mission, the nuclear weapons allocated to the NATO dual capable aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission are United States (US) nuclear weapons and the US retains control and custody over them, as the UK does with its own nuclear weapons.
The NATO DCA nuclear mission would operate under the orders of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, when authorised by NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group, through which Allies exercise political control over the mission. The UK would always retain the right to participate, or not participate, according to a political decision by the UK Prime Minister.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/70471
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the findings of the One Big Thing 2024 evaluation will be compared with the Civil Service People Survey results in (a) 2024 and (2025) to test whether any change in (i) culture and (ii) innovation capability has been sustained.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As set out in the Evaluating One Big Thing 2024 report, published on GOV.UK, the 2024 and 2025 People Survey findings will be compared to assess whether there has been sustained culture change around innovation.