Written questions by O'Brien.

What estimate his Department has made of the expected growth in datacentre capacity, measured in MW, from today to 2030.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate his Department has made of the expected growth in UK datacentre capacity, measured in MW, from today to 2030.

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant to his Answers of 26 January and 4 February 2026 to Questions 106583 and 109831 on Energy Supply: Expenditure, if he will publish (a) monthly data collected during the year from departmental management accounts that were incorporated into the OSCAR database for the financial year 2024-5 and (b) adjustments made at year-end 2024-5 to align final outturn with the published annual report and accounts in spending areas associated with sources of reliable energy.

The final monthly data collected during the year is already published in the OSCAR annual release dataset with the TYPE_LONG_NAME of “IN-YEAR RETURN” and the adjustments to align final outturn with the published annual report and accounts is shown against “FINAL OUTTURN”.

With reference to his answer to question 106583, if he will publish a breakdown of the £2bn in capital spending by his Department in 2024-25 in rows 2578, 2579, 9185 and 9197 of the OSCAR Annual Data 2024-5 (Outturn) spreadsheet, under the PESA Economic Group Codes (a) Capital Support for Local Government (net), (b) Capital Support for Public Corporations, (c) Capital Grants to Private Sector Companies (net) and (d) Capital Support for Public Corporations.

It is not possible to provide a breakdown for individual rows within the dataset due to the way the OSCAR system shows monthly data collected during the year from departmental management accounts on a separate line to adjustments made at year-end to align final outturn with the published annual report and accounts.

With reference to table 1 of Annex A of the Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25, if he will publish a breakdown of the spending of both (a) Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit and (b) Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit on Delivering Affordable energy for households and businesses in that financial year.

A detailed breakdown of the Resource and Capital Departmental Expenditure limit spending in 2024-25 under Delivering Affordable energy for households and businesses and Ensuring that our energy system is reliable and secure is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR and published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oscar-annual-release-november-2025.

With reference to table 1 of Annex A of the Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25, if he will publish a breakdown of the spending of both (a) Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit and (b) Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit on Ensuring that our energy system is reliable and secure in that financial year, including the value of the Bulb loan which was repaid in that financial year.

A detailed breakdown of the Resource and Capital Departmental Expenditure limit spending in 2024-25 under Delivering Affordable energy for households and businesses and Ensuring that our energy system is reliable and secure is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR and published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oscar-annual-release-november-2025.

What assessment his Department has made of the drivers of and reasons for the more than doubling of the wage and salary costs of the Mining Remediation Authority since April 2017.

Forecast headcount at the Mining Remediation Authority for the end of March 2026 is c460 full time equivalent posts which has increased since April 2017 in line with the growth in the complexity and number of 24/7 incidents. Pay cases submitted by the Mining Remediation Authority during the period have been considered by the Department alongside Civil Service pay remit guidance. More information about the Mining Remediation Authority’s funding and programmes can be found in its latest Annual Report and Accounts. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mining-remediation-authority-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025

For what reason wage and salary costs have increased at the Committee on Climate Change since April 2017.

Pay arrangements for the CCC’s permanent staff are governed by the Cabinet Office pay remit guidance and process. The CCC has a vital role providing independent, expert advice on reducing emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change, and staff numbers have risen to manage the increased demands from the CCC's work programme.

For what reason employment and wage costs have increased at the Nuclear Decommisioning Authority since April 2017.

The NDAs mission involves complex and hazardous nuclear decommissioning, requiring advanced technical engineering and project management skills. These roles command higher than average salaries due to scarcity and competition for nuclear expertise. Since 2017 the NDA receive funding from HMG each year which reflects the NDAs mission. This funding has led to operations to accelerate hazard reduction at sites like Sellafield and Dounreay. This acceleration has meant an increase in employment and wages at the NDA who continually review how they operate to ensure value for money to the taxpayer whilst keeping the UK safe and secure.

For what reason wage and salary costs have increased at Ofgem since April 2017.

Ofgem is governed by its Board (the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority - GEMA) and is directly accountable to Parliament for the performance of its functions and duties. Operational decisions regarding wage and salary costs are a matter for Ofgem.

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.

The current AWDL for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is 3.8. The department does not have any Arms length’s bodies that are requested to submit AWDL figures. The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

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 for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) of payments associated with settlement agreements and special severance payments was £60,000.

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.

The Department or Energy Security and Net Zero does not promote in-grade. Performance markings are not held centrally. Table 1 Grade (No. and %) between April 2024 and March 2025 GradeNo. Promoted% of those still in dept who were promotedAO 0.0%EO3117%HEO13424%FASTSTREAM<=30<=30SEO1059%G7533 %G6<=30<=30SCS 1<=30<=30Total3478% Numbers of 30 or fewer employees have been redacted.

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

There were 24 concluded disciplinary cases recorded in the past twelve months in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Data is not held centrally for Departmental Agencies and ALBs. Broken down by outcome (i):*Final written warning – ^First written warning – 6Informal action – ^No action – 9Resignation – ^Withdrawn – ^No outcome provided – ^ Primary allegation (ii)Performance: 0Conduct: 24 *Volumes which are five or fewer have been redacted to avoid potential identification of individuals.

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

The table below summarises numbers and proportion of DESNZ staff in the top performance category for the most recent performance year as reported at end March 2025: GradeNumberPercentageAO514%EO2510%HEO9913%SEO19213%G728516%G611921%SCS12515%SCS2614%Any sample sizes below five are not reported.

How many people were employed by the (a) Office of Gas and Electricity Market, (b) Office for Nuclear Regulation and (c) Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in each year since 2005.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) and NDA are directly accountable to Parliament. The information requested is published in Ofgem’s and NDA's annual report and accounts, which are laid before the House and publicly available Whilst ONR’s government sponsor is DWP, we can confirm that the information requested can be found in ONR’s annual report and accounts, which is laid in Parliament. The first date that their annual report and accounts is available from is 2014-15 as ONR was not made a public corporation until 2013 under the Energy Act of that year.

What the annual budget was for the (a) Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, (b) Office for Nuclear Regulation and (c) Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in each year since 2005.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) and NDA are directly accountable to Parliament. The information requested is published in Ofgem’s and NDA's annual report and accounts, which are laid before the House and publicly available Whilst ONR’s government sponsor is DWP, we can confirm that the information requested can be found in ONR’s annual report and accounts, which is laid in Parliament. The first date that their annual report and accounts is available from is 2014-15 as ONR was not made a public corporation until 2013 under the Energy Act of that year.

How many staff in his Department (a) did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period extended in each of the last five years.

(a)There is no evidence in the data held in the DESNZ HR Oracle system of any employee being dismissed during their probationary period.(b) Probation extensions are not centrally recorded in the Oracle HR System.

How many staff in his Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability by grade.

Information on the number of people declaring a disability by each government department are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Latest published data are as at 31 March 2025 and can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address: Civil Service statistics - GOV.UK Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026.

How many employment tribunal claims have been lodged against his Department in each of the last five years for (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010.

The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) was created in February 2023. In the period 23/24: 1 Employment Tribunal (ET) claim was lodged for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. In the period 24/25: 2 ET claims were lodged for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination and 1 ET claim for unfair dismissal alone. In the period 25/26: 1 ET claim has been lodged for disability discrimination alone.