Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the (a) transgender, (b) bisexual and (c) Windrush flag has been flown from a Government building since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
None of the listed flags have been flown from a Government Property Agency managed Government Building since 4 July 2024. We do not hold information relating to buildings not managed by the Government Property Agency.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Director of Policy, Delivery and Innovation is a (a) special adviser, (b) direct ministerial appointment or (c) member of the Number 10 Political Office.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Director of Policy, Delivery and Innovation is a special adviser. A list of special advisers is published as part of the Annual Report on Special Advisers by the Cabinet Office on gov.uk. The next report will be published in due course.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41289 on Arms Length Bodies: Parliamentary Scrutiny, through which mechanisms (a) public corporations and (b) private companies owned by the Government are accountable to Parliament.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Detail on arrangements for Parliamentary accountability and governance of government companies and public corporations are set out in Annex 7.3 of Managing Public Money.
The precise arrangements will vary from body to body, but will be set out in each body’s framework document, or equivalent, which describes the governance arrangements between the body and its sponsor government department. Framework documents are published on GOV.UK, along with guidance on their use and standard templates for each type of body: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/framework-documents-collection
In general, accountability to Parliament will be via the ministers of a public corporation’s sponsor department and, if that body is subject to the rules set out in Managing Public Money, through the public corporation’s accounting officer or accountable person.
Private companies owned by the Government, where they do not meet the classification standards for a public corporation, are instead classified by the ONS as part of central government. They are financially consolidated into their sponsor department and accountable to Parliament in the same manner as any other non-departmental public body.
Ministers of a central government company’s sponsor department are responsible for the body in the house; and the most senior executive in the company as an Accounting Officer is directly accountable to Parliament via the Public Accounts Committee for the use of public funds.
Public corporation status is formally determined by the Office for National Statistics on the basis of international economic statistical standards. Public corporations are generally self-funding and do not normally receive funding voted by Parliament. This category covers a significant range of bodies with differing levels of government control and not all bodies classified as public corporations are owned by the Government. They are subject to levels of control deemed appropriate by the relevant sponsor department, agreed via their framework document, and approved by the Treasury.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether appointments to Skills England will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the chair appointment will be classified as a Significant Appointment.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department will give due consideration on whether to request the inclusion of Skills England in the Public Appointment Order in Council at the point when the Cabinet Office invites departments to nominate bodies for inclusion in the Order. Concurrently, we will assess whether the Chair position falls within the scope of appointments deemed significant under the criteria specified by Cabinet Office at the time of the request.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans the Government has to appoint a permanent Chief Executive Officer of the Government Digital Service (GDS); and whether this appointment will be made following an open competition.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) leads the Government Digital Service (GDS), within DSIT. GDS is the digital centre of government. The current GCDO is in post on an interim basis. We will be appointing a permanent GCDO through an open competition to ensure transparency and attract diverse talent.
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 12 May 2025 to Question 50220 on Admiralty House, how much the council tax is for the two unoccupied flats in Admiralty House in 2025-26.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Admiralty House residences are valued in Council Tax Band H.
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, for what reason her Department is appointing a Diversity and Inclusion Manager.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department is recruiting a Diversity and Inclusion Manager to ensure we are attracting the broadest range of talent to our DCMS Public Bodies from all backgrounds and locations, in order to reflect the communities they serve. They will also ensure the Department is compliant with legal obligations around the Public Sector Equality Duty.
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, on how many occasions he has taken a personal holiday following an official visit; and how the travel costs were paid for in those circumstances.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The standards of conduct expected of ministers are set out in the Ministerial Code. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not routinely comment on the personal travel arrangements of protected individuals.
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, what the cost to the public purse was of the (a) event and (b) reception held at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on 31 July 2024; how much was spent on (i) alcohol and (ii) food; and what alcoholic drinks were served.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
On 31 July 2024, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport hosted a stakeholder reception in Manchester attended by 193 senior representatives from across the breadth of the DCMS sectors. This included individuals and organisations from the arts, culture, sport, heritage, civil society, and creative industries
The purpose of the event was to provide an opportunity for the new Secretary of State and departmental ministers to engage directly with a wide range of stakeholders, to hear their views, establish relationships, and work together to ensure that the benefits of our creative industries, sporting excellence and rich cultural heritage are felt by everyone, no matter where they live.
Such engagement is an established and valuable part of ministerial responsibilities and helps to inform ongoing policy development and delivery. The event and reception cost a total of £9,725.83 which included event production costs and low-cost catering of £1,248.90 for 193 people. No alcohol was served.
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 his Department is taking steps to improve the (a) transparency and (b) accountability of Official Development Assistance.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Aid Transparency remains a high priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO was rated "Very Good" in the most recent Aid Transparency Index and was the leading foreign ministry on the Index.
We publish detailed data on all FCDO Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects and programmes monthly in line with the International Aid Transparency Initiative standard. We continually review the quality of published information. The FCDO is also funding an Aid Transparency Review of other UK government departments. This will make recommendations to improve the overall quality of information published on UK ODA.
All FCDO ODA projects and programmes are managed in line with the FCDO Programme Operating Framework. The Programme Operating Framework sets out accountability for ODA delivery including at project approval, annual review and project completion. Relevant documents are published as part of our transparency commitments. The Programme Operating Framework is formally reviewed every 6 months.