Written questions by O'Brien.

How much annual grant funding was issued by the Aerospace Technology Institute (a) in total, (b) for Zero Carbon Emission Aircraft Technologies, (c) for Ultra Efficient Aircraft Technologies, (d) for Cross-cutting Enabling Technologies and (e) for Non-CO2 Technologies in each financial year since 2021-22.

The Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme is jointly delivered by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), Innovate UK, and the ATI. The Department does not hold the detailed breakdown requested but can confirm the total value of grants awarded, including those relating to non‑CO₂ technologies (see Table). Information on individual projects funded via the ATI Programme, including award values, project leads and focus areas, is published by Innovate UK (link here). Individual R&T projects may undertake activity that falls across several of the categories requested. ATI Prog. Grant Award (£m)2021-22 (Batch 35)2022-23 (Batch 36, 37, 38)2023-24 (Batch 39, 40, 41)2024-25 (Batch 42, 43, 44)2025-26 (Batch 45, 46)Total89.2218.9220.0212.2143.4Non-CO2 Prog. only---1.36.1

With reference to his answer of 28 January 2026 Question 107135, if he will publish a breakdown of the £126m in CDEL outturn for 2024/5 in the category of "Capital grants to private sector companies (net)".

The requested breakdowns are below: CURRENT GRANTS TO PERSONS AND NON-PROFIT (NET)DescriptionCapital DEL (£000)Resource DEL (Programme) (£000)Total (£000)Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)180,149-180,149Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC)68,68811668,804Citizens Advice-42,31742,317Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF)26,0441,91527,959Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV)24,35653124,887Help to Grow-20,91320,913Consumer advocacy for Energy, Post and cross-sector-19,50219,502National Trading Standards (NTS)-12,51812,518Global Centre of Rail Excellence6,865-6,865Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF)3,0002,6515,651Music Export Growth Scheme-2,9832,983Materials Processing Institute2,042-2,042The British Standards Institution-1,8961,896Convention of Scottish Local Authorities-1,3011,301Other2,0536,4808,533 313,197113,123426,320 SUBSIDIES TO PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIESDescriptionCapital DEL (£000)Resource DEL (Programme) (£000)Total (£000)Energy Intensive Industries (EII) Compensation Scheme-141,679141,679Postmaster Horizon redress-Suspension Renumeration Review-Provision utilisation-8,9798,979Other-2323 -150,681150,681 CAPITAL GRANTS TO PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES (NET)DescriptionCapital DEL (£000)Resource DEL (Programme) (£000)Total (£000)Movement on financial guarantee liabilities-Growth Guarantee Scheme62,332-62,332Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF)34,766-34,766Steel infrastructure15,263-15,263Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF)7,930-7,930Called financial guarantees-Enterprise Financial Guarantee Scheme6,099-6,099 126,390-126,390

With reference to his answer of 28 January 2026 to Question 107450, if he will publish a breakdown of the administration and programme expenditure for 2024/5 in the categories of "Subsidies to private sector companies" and "Current grants to persons and non-profit (net)".

The requested breakdowns are below: CURRENT GRANTS TO PERSONS AND NON-PROFIT (NET)DescriptionCapital DEL (£000)Resource DEL (Programme) (£000)Total (£000)Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)180,149-180,149Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC)68,68811668,804Citizens Advice-42,31742,317Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF)26,0441,91527,959Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV)24,35653124,887Help to Grow-20,91320,913Consumer advocacy for Energy, Post and cross-sector-19,50219,502National Trading Standards (NTS)-12,51812,518Global Centre of Rail Excellence6,865-6,865Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF)3,0002,6515,651Music Export Growth Scheme-2,9832,983Materials Processing Institute2,042-2,042The British Standards Institution-1,8961,896Convention of Scottish Local Authorities-1,3011,301Other2,0536,4808,533 313,197113,123426,320 SUBSIDIES TO PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIESDescriptionCapital DEL (£000)Resource DEL (Programme) (£000)Total (£000)Energy Intensive Industries (EII) Compensation Scheme-141,679141,679Postmaster Horizon redress-Suspension Renumeration Review-Provision utilisation-8,9798,979Other-2323 -150,681150,681 CAPITAL GRANTS TO PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES (NET)DescriptionCapital DEL (£000)Resource DEL (Programme) (£000)Total (£000)Movement on financial guarantee liabilities-Growth Guarantee Scheme62,332-62,332Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (eRGF)34,766-34,766Steel infrastructure15,263-15,263Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF)7,930-7,930Called financial guarantees-Enterprise Financial Guarantee Scheme6,099-6,099 126,390-126,390

With reference to his answer to of 28 January 2026 to Question 107135, if he will publish a breakdown of the £313m in CDEL outturn for 2024/5 in the category of "Current grants to persons and non-profit (net)".

I refer the Member to the answer I gave on 4 February 2026 to question 109830.

For what reason (a) the number of staff and (b) staff costs have increased at the Financial Reporting Council since April 2017.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has taken on several new responsibilities following its (2016) designation as competent authority for audit, and additional work resulting from the UK's exit from the European Union. These include the registration of additional third country auditors, a new programme of assessing third country audit regulatory equivalence and adequacy, and supporting agreements on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. The FRC has also put extra resource into the supervision of audits and expediting enforcement proceedings.Staff costs have increased in direct proportion to the increase in headcount.

For what reason (a) the number of staff and (b) staff costs have increased at The Insolvency Service since April 2017.

The Insolvency Service has expanded its responsibilities in respect of resourcing the transfer of criminal enforcement functions from the Department, work to distribute payments to creditors from Payment Protection Insurance realisations, and the Insolvency Service's expanded role as it has taken on responsibility for enforcement activity related to the economic crime programme.These factors, together with the implementation of civil service pay awards, have also affected staff costs over this period.

For what reason (a) the number of staff and (b) staff costs have increased at Companies House since April 2017.

Companies House’s staff numbers have increased in recent years as a result of its extensive transformation to strengthen the integrity and transparency of the UK corporate register. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 has significantly expanded Companies House’s remit, introducing new powers such as identity verification and enhanced investigation and enforcement to tackle misuse of the register and combat economic crime. Alongside enhancements to its digital and data systems, these changes have required additional specialist capability to implement and maintain. These factors, together with the implementation of civil service pay awards, have affected staff costs over this period.

For what reason (a) the number of staff and (b) staff costs have increased at the Competition and Markets Authority since April 2017.

Changes in staff numbers at the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) since 1 April 2017 have been affected by the expansion of its responsibilities in respect of competition enforcement and merger control following the UK’s departure from the EU; the introduction of new statutory functions and responsibilities, including under the UK Internal Market Act 2020, leading to the creation of the Office for the Internal Market and the Subsidy Advice Unit; and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which established the digital markets competition regime. These factors, together with the implementation of civil service pay awards, have also affected staff costs over this period.

With reference to table SOPS 1.1 from the Department's 2024/5 Annual Report and Accounts, what categories of spending are covered by the total of £1,497,088,000 covering administration and programme expenditure in Section A - Department for Business and Trade (Departmental Expenditure Limits).

The breakdown of Estimate line ‘A DBT – Department for Business and Trade (DEL)’ for RDEL outturn of £1,497,088,000 for 2024-25 is: DBT Core (£000)Insolvency Service (£000)Companies House (£000)Total (£000)Current grants to persons and non-profit (net)113,123--113,123Depreciation26,6646,4217,97441,059Income from sales of goods and services(989)(2,300)(432)(3,721)Other resource(60,019)(43,993)(203,517)(307,529)Purchase of goods and services418,40442,35648,403509,163Rentals315277-592Staff costs535,964100,99188,783725,738Subsidies to private sector companies150,680--150,680Subsidies to public corporations240,951--240,951Change in pension scheme liabilities228--228Current grants abroad (net)8,622--8,622Current grants to local government (net)18,181--18,181 1,452,124103,752(58,789)1,497,08711Difference between this figure and figure in SOPS due to rounding.

With reference to table SOPS 1.2 from his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2024/5, if he will publish a breakdown of CDEL in Section A - Department for Business and Trade, covering both gross spending and income.

The breakdown of Estimate line ‘A DBT – Department for Business and Trade (DEL)’ for CDEL outturn of £492,483,000 for 2024-25 is: DBT Core (£000)Insolvency Service (£000)Companies House (£000)Total (£000)Current grants to persons and non-profit (net)313,198--313,198Income from sales of assets(265)--(265)Income from sales of goods and services(2,075)--(2,075)Net lending to the private sector and abroad(72,606)--(72,606)Other capital(13)--(13)Purchase of assets15,2714,68719,43239,390Purchase of goods and services12,327--12,327Staff costs1,556--1,556Capital grants abroad (net)150--150Capital grants to persons & non-profit (net)1,270--1,270Capital grants to private sector companies (net)126,391--126,391Capital support for local government (net)10--10Capital support for public corporations73,151--73,151 468,3654,68719,432492,484¹1Difference between this figure and figure in Estimate due to rounding.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2025 to Question 96808 on Department for Business and Trade: Career Development, how many and what proportion of Senior Civil Servants were rated in each of the box rating categories (a) exceeding, (b) high performing, (c) achieving and (d) partially met in the last year.

The last complete performance year for SCS ran between 1st April 2024 and 31st March 2025. The proportion of ratings against each performance rating (Exceeding, High Performing, Achieving and Partially Met) are detailed below.Rating%Number of SCS Exceeding14%38High Performing23%63Achieving57%160Partially Met6%17

What the total cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff in the last year.

For the last financial year, the total cost to the Department of Business and Trade of payments associated with settlement agreements is set out in Annual Report and Accounts. Where relevant, this includes special severance payments that have associated settlement agreements.

What the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) the Department and (b) its executive agencies in the last year; and how many formal performance warnings were issued to staff whose absence exceeded departmental triggers.

A) The table shows the average number of working days lost (AWDL) to sickness absence per staff in DBT and its executive agencies in the last year (between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025) OrganisationAWDLDepartment for Business and Trade3.58 daysExecutive agenciesCompanies House7.6 daysInsolvency Service6.9 days B) In the previous year (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) there were the following in relation to formal warnings issued to staff whose absence exceeded departmental triggers:DBT: 11 formal warnings.Insolvency Service: 12 formal warnings.Companies House: 6 formal warnings.

How many and what proportion of staff were promoted (a) in-grade and (b) to a higher grade in the last year broken down by (i) performance marking in the previous year and (ii) grade.

As of 31 March 2025, a total of 576 civil servants, representing approximately 9.7% of those on the payroll, were promoted to higher grades during the previous year. The table below provides a breakdown of these promotions by performance marking (as of 31 March 2024) and grade.Delegated grades within the Department have two performance ratings - Met and Not Met.Senior Civil Servants (SCS) have four box ratings ‘Exceeding’, High Performing’ ‘Achieving’ and ‘Partially Met’. Exceeding is the top box rating.We do not have information about in-grade promotions because lateral moves are not considered promotions and are not tracked currently.GradeMetNot MetAchieving (for SCS only)High Performing (for SCS only)Exceeding (for SCS only)Number of civil servants without a performance rating recorded in 23/24Total promotion (as of 31.03.25)AO5000049EO5810003392HEO127100065193SEO115000042157G75800003492G6900001625SCS10012508Total3722125194576

How many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) the Department and (b) its agencies by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct in the last twelve months.

The number of cases concluded against civil servants within the Department for Business and Trade in the previous year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 are as below. Core DBT: PerformanceTimeframeTotal NumberNo Action / Informal ActionWarningResignationDismissal1 April 2024 – 31 March 202535218<5<5 ConductTimeframeTotal NumberNo Action / Informal ActionWarningResignationDismissal1 April 2024 – 31 March 20252013<5<5<5 Insolvency Service PerformanceTimeframeTotal NumberNo Action / Informal ActionWarningResignationDismissal1 April 2024 – 31 March 202590<506 ConductTimeframeTotal NumberNo Action / Informal ActionWarningResignationDismissal1 April 2024 – 31 March 202510<5<50<5 Companies House: PerformanceTimeframeTotal NumberNo Action / Informal ActionWarningResignationDismissal1 April 2024 – 31 March 202560<50<5 ConductTimeframeTotal NumberNo Action / Informal ActionWarningResignationDismissal1 April 2024 – 31 March 202550<50<2

How many and what proportion of staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.

The information provided below relates to the recorded ratings on the Department’s HR information system for the period of 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025, in line with the Department’s performance cycle.Delegated grades within the Department have two performance ratings - Met and Not Met.Delegated Grades Performance Ratings Distribution for 2024/25 MetNot MetProportion in Met (of those with a recorded rating)AO230100.00%EO198896.12%HEO5371297.81%FS000%SEO8741298.65%G7853699.30%G62670100.00%Total27523898.64% Senior Civil Servants (SCS) have four box ratings ‘Exceeding’, High Performing’ ‘Achieving’ and ‘Partially Met’. Exceeding is the top box rating. Total Top Rating (Exceeding)Total EligibleProportion in Exceeded (out of total Eligible)SCS13022114%SCS285714%SCS311010%Total3928814%

What the annual budget was for the (a) Competition and Markets Authority and (b) Financial Reporting Council in each year since 2005.

Since 2005, the remits of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which became operational on 1 April 2014, and the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) have expanded in scope to undertake additional functions at the request of government. The CMA's responsibilities in respect of competition enforcement and merger control have increased following the UK’s departure from the EU, as well as taking on new statutory functions and responsibilities under the UK Internal Market Act 2020, and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The FRC took on formal responsibility for actuarial oversight and standard-setting in 2006, for stewardship in 2009 following the Walker Review, as well as being designated as the competent authority for audit in 2016.YearBudget £mHeadcount CMAFRCCMA FRC2005-2006-12.5-622006-2007-13.5-762007-2008-14.7-812008-2009-17.9-822009-2010-19.7-902010-2011-21.6-1022011-2012-22-1022012-2013-22.4-1142013-2014-24.5-1342014-201563.132.16531512015-201666.133.76411612016-201766.333.55801712017-201864.035.36401922018-201999.935.88542102019-2020112.941.78992432020-202195.745.48473262021-2022100.651.58753912022-2023121.959.89284432023-2024129.466.31,0884772024-2025144.071.51,130459

How many people have been employed by the (a) Competition and Markets Authority and (b) Financial Reporting Council in each year since 2005.

Since 2005, the remits of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which became operational on 1 April 2014, and the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) have expanded in scope to undertake additional functions at the request of government. The CMA's responsibilities in respect of competition enforcement and merger control have increased following the UK’s departure from the EU, as well as taking on new statutory functions and responsibilities under the UK Internal Market Act 2020, and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The FRC took on formal responsibility for actuarial oversight and standard-setting in 2006, for stewardship in 2009 following the Walker Review, as well as being designated as the competent authority for audit in 2016.YearBudget £mHeadcount CMAFRCCMA FRC2005-2006-12.5-622006-2007-13.5-762007-2008-14.7-812008-2009-17.9-822009-2010-19.7-902010-2011-21.6-1022011-2012-22-1022012-2013-22.4-1142013-2014-24.5-1342014-201563.132.16531512015-201666.133.76411612016-201766.333.55801712017-201864.035.36401922018-201999.935.88542102019-2020112.941.78992432020-202195.745.48473262021-2022100.651.58753912022-2023121.959.89284432023-2024129.466.31,0884772024-2025144.071.51,130459

How many staff left his Department in each of the last five years by grade.

Information on the number of civil servants leaving each government department and organisation by responsibility level for the years 2021 to 2025 is published annually through the ‘Civil Service data browser’ as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Information can be accessed through the Civil Service data browser for 2021 through 2025 at the following web address:https://civil-service-statistics.jdac.service.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/Here is the break down by grade in 2024/2025 and 2023/2024.Leavers by grade2024/20252023/2024* AO/EO123118 HEO139115 SEO155132 G7149129 G64633 SCS 1/2/3/43316 Total645543 *Civil servants who left DBT payroll between 1 August 2023 and 31 March 2024.The DBT was created in 2023. Complete staff record for DBT was only available since 1 August 2023. Leavers data prior to 1 August 2023 was provided by DBT’s predecessors, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for International Trade. This data is readily available on Gov.uk : https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

How many performance reviews were undertaken for staff in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many of those cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a result of such a rating; and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff that represented.

On 1st July 2023 due to a Machinery of Government Change, the Department of International Trade (DIT) became the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), alongside parts of the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). We therefore only hold information from DBT from 1st July 2023.DBT does not hold performance management data for its agencies.Performance reviews are held for every member of staff as per our Line Management Guidance. We capture this for all SCS, but results of delegated reviews (AA to Grade 6) are only partially available.The data below shows performance reviews recorded in our system. Exact numbers of leavers due to poor performance and the percentages of such are withheld as disclosure could identify individuals and breach GDPR principles.Performance year Runs from 1st April to 31st MarchNumber of staff with known ratingsNumber Marked as ‘Not Met’ against performanceLeavers due to Poor Performance2023-2024350549<52024-2025307854<5