Every parliamentary written question tabled by Neil O'Brien this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 241–260 of 704 · this parliament
How many and what proportion of staff in each grade in his Department were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
The Ministry of Justice operates a continuous performance management approach based on a rolling cycle of regular performance conversations between line managers and staff members. As such, the Department does not hold the data requested.
How many and what proportion of staff in his Department 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.
Number and Rate of Promotions for Ministry of Justice (excluding HMPPS) employees by Grade between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025Previous Grade of EmployeeAverage Staff in PostNumber of PromotionsRate of Promotions per 100 StaffSenior Civil Servant26041.5G7/G63,483992.8HEO/SEO7,7505407EO4,5672786.1AA/AO11,3033793.4 Caveats1. Promotions relate to staff moving to a more senior grade through an internal process where the move is made on a permanent basis.2. Information on in-grade promotions and performance rankings is not available within the centrally held HR administrative system and so this information has not been provided.3. Promotions have been assigned to a grade based on the grade the individual was promoted from, rather than their new final grade. Where grades have been grouped together, the total represents all individuals from either grade who were promoted within the financial year. I.e. G7/G6 will represent all individuals who were promoted from a G7 grade and all individuals who were promoted from a G6 grade.4. Average Staff in Post is based on the total on-strength headcount of individuals at this grade at the end of each month in the 12-month period of interest5. Rate of promotions represents the total number of promotions that occurred in the year per 100 average staff in post Data on the number and proportion of promotions in HMPPS by grade for 24/25 can be found in the HM Prison & Probation Service Staff Equalities Report: 2024-2025 in Table 4b. HM Prison & Probation Service Staff Equalities Report: 2024-2025 - GOV.UK It is not possible to provide the requested data on ‘in-grade promotion’ as this definition does not exist within the Department. It is not possible to provide the data requested broken down by performance marking because the Ministry of Justice uses a rolling cycle of regular performance management conversations – there is no set reporting year or end of year markings. Since 2019, the flexible Performance Management Framework in the Civil Service has enabled Departments to adopt a Performance Management approach to best suit their organisational and cultural needs. There is no common performance rating across Government, and there is no common definition of ‘performance year’.Data on the number and proportion of promotions in HMPPS by grade for 24/25 can be found in the HM Prison & Probation Service Staff Equalities Report: 2024-2025 in Table 4b. HM Prison & Probation Service Staff Equalities Report: 2024-2025 - GOV.UK It is not possible to provide the requested data on ‘in-grade promotion’ as this definition does not exist within the Department. It is not possible to provide the data requested broken down by performance marking because the Ministry of Justice uses a rolling cycle of regular performance management conversations – there is no set reporting year or end of year markings. Since 2019, the flexible Performance Management Framework in the Civil Service has enabled Departments to adopt a Performance Management approach to best suit their organisational and cultural needs. There is no common performance rating across Government, and there is no common definition of ‘performance year’.
Food and Rural Affairs, what the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) her 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.
In relation to the average number of working days lost to sickness absence, as of year ending 31 October 2025, Defra can confirm the following: Department/AgencyAverage Working Days Lost Core Defra4.4APHA5.7RPA7.6VMD2.4Cefas3.83 The Cabinet Office publishes statistics on Civil Service average working days lost in regular reports, which can be found here: Sickness absence in the Civil Service - GOV.UK. The next update will be for the year ending 31 March 2025. These figures are published for core Defra, but not for the other organisations. The data requested regarding ‘formal performance warnings’ is not captured centrally for Defra so it is not available for reporting here.
How many and what proportion of staff in each grade in her Department were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
The Home Office introduced a no-rating performance management system for delegated grades in 2021 in line with external good practice. Therefore, the department cannot compare progression with performance markings / categories.The performance management framework for Senior Civil Servants is a Cabinet Office policy, applied across the Civil Service departments including the Home Office.In the last performance year, the proportion of staff rated in the top performance category (“Exceeding”) for Senior Civil Servants is 25.Senior Civil Service 1: 17 individuals (representing 6% of all SCS1 Home Office staff)Senior Civil Service 2: 6 individuals (representing 10% of all SCS2 Home Office staff)Senior Civil Service 3: <5 individuals (representing >20% of all SCS3 Home Office staff)
Food and Rural Affairs, 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 Defra of payments associated with settlement agreements is set out in pg. 167 of 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.
The current Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) is 8.12. Regarding the number of performance warnings issued to staff, this can only be obtained through disproportionate effort.
In the past twelve months, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct.
Please find table below outlining disciplinary cases by performance and conduct. Discipline Outcome HeadcountPerformance Dismissal - Poor Performance20Dismissal - Probation50Conduct Dismissals with leaving reason containing Gross Misconduct132Final Written Warning8First Written Warning10No Formal Action<5
What the total cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff in her Department in the last year.
The Home Office does not publish specific information on settlement agreements and special severance payments for departing staff.The Home Office does publish the overall payments made to staff exiting the department each year and this is outlined in the annual report and accounts. For 2024-25 this is featured on page 170. Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025
Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
In core Defra, high performance substantive senior civil servants are those with an end-year performance rating of “Exceeded”. The headcount and proportion of each grade for those employed during the period November 2024 – October 2025 were: Grade*Number of employeesProportion of Grade who achieved ‘Exceeded’ as their end-year performance decisionSenior Civil Servant Pay Band 116 Senior Civil Servant Pay Band 2 * Where individuals changed substantive grade during the period, they are reported against their earliest substantive grade.c. These numbers are suppressed in accordance with the Defra data protection policy. End-year performance decisions were removed from the performance management framework for delegated staff grades in April 2023. Delegated staff grades are recognised through continuous recognition awards.
Food and Rural Affairs, 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.
With regards to a) the in-grade promotions: We are unclear how “in-grade promotion” should be defined in relation to the data we do hold. Information on b) promotions to a higher grade is not held centrally. In particular, the information held centrally on outward secondments and loans does not record whether the secondment/loan is a promotion or whether it would be in-grade or not. Collation and presentation of this data could potentially require significant manual work and data linking across departments and would come at a disproportionate cost and we are, therefore, unable to provide the information requested.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) the Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct in the past 12 months.
In the last 12 months the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs concluded 51 disciplinary cases. All 51 disciplinary cases were conduct related and not performance related. Outcomes from these cases were: DismissalFinal written warningInformal actionWarningWithdrawnNo action In the last 12 months the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Rural Payments Agency and the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science concluded a total of 48 disciplinary cases. All 48 disciplinary cases were conduct related and not performance related. Outcomes from these cases were: DismissalWritten warningInformal actionOral warningNo actionWithdrawnFinal written warningMediationOther/not recorded
How many and what proportion of staff in her Department 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 Home Office introduced a no-rating performance management system for delegated grades in 2021 in line with external good practice. Therefore, the department cannot compare progression with performance markings / categories.For the SCS grade please see table below. Promotions from PB1 (SCS1) to PB2 (SCS2)Performance markings from the previous year:Achieved: <5High Performing: <5Exceeding: <5 Promotions from Grade 6 to PB1 (SCS1)Performance markings from the previous year:Achieved: 8Partially Met: <5Not in scope for a performance marking: 8
Media and Sport, what the net expenditure of her Department was on projects related to cultural diplomacy in the last financial year.
DCMS works with a range of partners and ALBs to deliver on the Government’s cultural diplomacy and soft power objectives, including the FCDO, British Council, and GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign. As such, the department’s direct spending on cultural diplomacy is limited to a small number of cultural diplomacy-related projects each year, including those delivered through the Government Art Collection. Net expenditure for the last financial year on projects related to cultural diplomacy stood at £66,329.
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 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%
In the past twelve months, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct.
The requested information is available in the table below: Disciplinary Cases ConcludedTotals Department of EducationAgencies32<5OutcomesAlternative role<5<5Dismissal<5<5Final Written<5<5Final Written - 24 months<5<5First Written<5<5Informal8<5No Action5<5No Outcome Provided5<5AllegationsPerformance**Conduct29<5Other<5<5 *Footnote – cases relating to performance are managed separately through the department’s performance management policy and are excluded from the above table
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.
Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns, is published annually. The data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The next update will be for the year ending 31 March 2025. In the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, 13 formal performance warnings were issued to staff.
How many and what proportion of staff in her Department in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
The department does not currently operate a performance management system that includes ratings. However, it is in the process of introducing ratings for its Senior Civil Servants, with ratings for the 2025/26 performance year due to be determined in spring 2026.
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 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