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, what guidance has been issued by (a) his Department and (b) NHS England on expenditure on flags.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department follows general Government guidance on flying flags, which is available at the following link:
Neither the Department nor NHS England has issued guidance regarding expenditure on flags.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to the Electoral Commission on the (a) acceptance and (b) reporting of political donations received through cryptocurrencies by political parties and regulated donees; and whether he plans to discuss this matter with (i) the Electoral Commission and (ii) political parties.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The rules around political donations must be abided by regardless of the type of donation made, which includes cryptoasset donations. Political donations can only be accepted from permissible sources, and the recipients of the donations must make an honest assessment of the value of the donation at the time they receive it. Those who receive political donations from an impermissible or unidentifiable source must return them.
The Electoral Commission provides guidance on donations, including for non-standard donations such as those made in cryptocurrencies.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many donations received as cryptocurrencies has Reform UK declared to the Electoral Commission; what the value of those donations were; and on what dates those donations were received.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Parties are required to report donations in cryptocurrencies as non-monetary donations, with the type and amount of crypto asset identified.
No political party has reported any donations to the Electoral Commission that they have identified as cryptocurrency.
Last week, the Commission published the latest donations to political parties for the third quarter of 2025. Information about all reported donations is available on the Commission’s website, providing important transparency for voters.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for Developed Vetting renewals.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the responses given on 27 November 2025 to PQs 93373 and 92997.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will ensure that direct ministerial appointments publish a declaration of interests on gov.uk.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It is the responsibility of individual sponsor departments to publish details of the direct ministerial appointments that they make, including their terms of reference. Information about managing conflicts of interest and the public announcements that should be made for Direct Ministerial Appointments is set out in the Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment they have made of the impact of vetting delays on (a) recruitment and (b) project delivery across government departments and national security agencies.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Since April 2024, United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) has consistently met its agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPI), across each product type.
With the appropriate Ministerial oversight, UKSV works closely with the departments and decision-making authorities they serve to understand their forecasted demand for the provision of vetting services.
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 23 September 2025 to Question 75722 on Government Departments: Advertising, if he will publish equivalent data for spending on (a) hard copy advertising, (b) public relations and (c) marketing.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The requested information is not held centrally or in the specific categories outlined in the question.
Please refer to departmental transparency data.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed by UK Security Vetting by (a) permanent civil servants, (b) fixed-term appointees and (c) contingent labour.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) delivers National Security Vetting services to departments and agencies across government, police and industry. UKSV’s workforce planning is driven by the demand forecasting and operational employment requirements of these departments and agencies. The resourcing of UKSV includes a diverse range of staffing contracts to meet forecast demand.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the most recent estimate of (a) the headcount size of the Government Communication Service and (b) staff who work in communications functions in the Civil Service who are not GCS.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the response provided for PQ 92419 for the headcount size of the Government Communication Service.
Information regarding Civil Service staff working in communications functions who are not part of the Government Communication Service is not held centrally.
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 answer of 28 October 2025 to Question HL10808 on Official Residences, how long the other residences have been unoccupied.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There are two additional flats in Admiralty House which can be allocated to ministers as official residences at the Prime Minister’s discretion. Neither flat has been allocated to a minister under the current administration.