Written questions by O'Brien.

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

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, and information from DIT before this date, and all information shared will be within these parameters.Year / CategoryNo. Employment Tribunal Claims 2025 (a) unfair dismissal1(b) claims under the Equality Act 201042024 (a) unfair dismissal4(b) claims under the Equality Act 201042023 (a) unfair dismissal4(b) claims under the Equality Act 201042022 (a) unfair dismissal0(b) claims under the Equality Act 201012021 (a) unfair dismissal3(b) claims under the Equality Act 20101

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.

Ministry of Defence probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability. The table below shows the number of probations which were extended, and the number of staff who did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period for the last five years: YearExtended ProbationsNot retained after probation2020*912021*216202284274202317532220241572382025 (up to 31 Oct)47131Total 4631272*The number of probations extended in the year 2020 and 2021 is not centrally held.

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

The table below shows the outflow of Ministry of Defence Civil Servants by grade within the last five years. Grade2020-212021-222022-232023-242024-25Senior Civil Service4673546372Grade 673140132137138Grade 7259411358551429SEO510922947993876HEO8001,2001,2071,1131,044EO7241,088969873745AO9491,5371,4531,5561,347AA309412446455478Other Grades8812045722540Total3,7585,9036,0235,9665,169

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 is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Latest published data as at 31 March 2025 can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025 Information on mental health conditions or type of disability is not reported as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, however the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does record them based on voluntary self-declarations which is then recorded on the MOD’s HR systems. The tables below outline the number of recorded Physical and Mental Health disabilities within the department as at 31 October 2025. Physical DisabilityPaid Grade GroupingTotalSenior Civil Service17Senior Leadership Group6Grade 649Senior Professional35Grade 7103Professional I106Senior Executive Officer277Professional II243Higher Executive Officer365Senior Technical Specialist I160Executive Officer323Senior Technical Specialist II66Administrative Officer390Technical Specialist I70Administrative Assistant117Apprentice≤5Graduate≤5NHS Grades17Outside Banding Structure≤5Retained Grades61Skillzone 114Skillzone 258Skillzone 332Skillzone 46Total 2,522 Mental Health DisabilityPaid Grade GroupingTotalSenior Civil Service7Senior Leadership Group≤5Grade 617Senior Professional11Grade 747Professional I45Senior Executive Officer125Professional II112Higher Executive Officer164Senior Technical Specialist I135Executive Officer138Senior Technical Specialist II38Administrative Officer148Technical Specialist I42Administrative Assistant55Apprentice7Graduate≤5NHS Grades11Retained Grades24Veterans Agency≤5Skillzone 1≤5Skillzone 218Skillzone 38Skillzone 4≤5Total1,166 Please note that the data in these tables do not reflect the actual numbers of MOD employees with a mental health or physical condition, but the number of employees who have self-voluntarily recorded their condition as a disability. Where figures are less than or equal to 5, the data is shown as ‘≤5’ to avoid identifying the individuals concerned.

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 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.

Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.DBT recoded fewer than five staff members who were recruited into the civil service and did not pass their probation, and were subsequently dismissed, since DBT was created in 2023. Information on staff who had their probationary period extended is not available.

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 in department for Business and Trade (DBT) are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. The latest published data is accurate as of 31 March 2025 and can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025As of 31 March 2025, a) 61 civil servants had self-reported having a Mental Ill Health condition and b) 102 civil servants had self-reported as having a Physical Disability (Facial Disfigurement, Speech impairment, Hearing Impairment, Manual Dexterity Condition, Mobility Condition or a Visual Impairment) in DBT. Here is the breakdown by grade:A) Self-Reported Mental Ill Health Condition by GradeGrade CountAO/EO7HEO18SEO19G712G6Less than 5All SCSLess than 5Total61*b) Self-Reported Physical Disability by GradeGrade CountAO/EO6HEO25SEO23G733G68All SCS7Total102**As of March 2025, 61.6% of civil servants in DBT self-reported their disability status. Not all individuals who reported a disability provided information on the type or nature of their disability or condition.Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026.

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

The below tables show the number of Employment Tribunal claims recorded under the categories of (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010 for each financial year from 2020-21 to 2025-26. It is important to note that some cases are recorded with one claim category, such as unfair dismissal, while others are recorded with multiple claim categories, such as constructive dismissal and failure to make reasonable adjustments which is why claims under the Equality Act 2010 have increased. Figures fewer than 3 have been replaced with [c] to limit inadvertent disclosure of personal data. Number of ClaimsFinancial YearUnfair DismissalUnder the Equality Act 20102020-2021[c]42021-202210142022-20237232023-20249272024-20259272025-20261839Defence must be an environment in which everyone feels supported, valued, and confident to give their best, regardless of their backgrounds. There are a number of live intiiatives in the Department I am overseeing, designed to encourage individuals to feel safe and able to raise concerns about inappropriate behaviour and result in 100% action where it is proven, demonstrating Defence takes such concerns seriously. In addition to the MOD Raising our Standards programme, a civilian HR Casework Improvements Project is reviewing the end-to-end delivery of HR casework. It launched a new universal casework model in February 2025 which overhauled HR systems, policies and procedures to ensure they are more supportive and fair, independent and transparent, with efficiencies reducing timescales; all ultimately improving the employee experience. Further more, in response to feedback on our current Raising a Concern (Whistleblowing) Policy and Procedure, Defence has committed to a comprehensive, ministerial-led review of Whistleblowing in Defence. The final report and recommendations from this Review are to be published and laid before Parliament in April 2026.

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

The Department has defined an employment tribunal claim as a formal submission which includes claims made against the Department, excluding arm's-length bodies, and submitted to an Employment Tribunal, for which the Department has responded by submitting a grounds for resistance. Early conciliations, which are the step ahead of a claim submission, are not included in this definition.Employment Tribunal data is not readily available prior to 2023. As such, the Department only has access to employment tribunal information for the period of 2023 to 2025. During this period, six employment tribunal claims have been lodged citing unfair dismissal. Our records do not show claims listed with a specific reference to the Equality Act 2010.We are unable to provide further information about specific years due to the low numbers involved in each year which could lead to the identification of individuals.

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 this represented.

Senior civil servants (SCS) and delegated grades, non-SCS staff, follow different performance management frameworks. SCS staff operate within the framework for SCS performance management prescribed by the Cabinet Office. For delegated performance there is a flexible framework that requires departments to reflect a number of core elements in their approach, including differentiating performance, addressing under and poor performance, and addressing diversity and inclusion. In the Department of Health and Social Care, the policy is that all individuals should have monthly reviews and performance ratings that are collated and returned to human resources mid-year, in October, and at the end of the year, in April. Whilst the Department of Health and Social Care only collected data for delegated grades for the 2024/25 performance year, it has complete data for SCS staff for the last five years. The following table shows the number of end of year performance ratings returned from 2020/21 to 2024/25: YearSCSDelegated grades2020/21192Not recorded2021/22284Not recorded2022/23257Not recorded2023/24227Not recorded2024/252252,820 Furthermore, the following table shows how many were rated as unsatisfactory or below, or the equivalent ratings used by the relevant organisations, on each occasion, from 2020/21 to 2024/25: YearSCSDelegated grades2020/2021[c]*Not recorded2021/2022[c]*Not recorded2022/202310Not recorded2023/202410Not recorded2024/202513<10Note: *[c] means confidential and suppressed due to small numbers of less than five. The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold data on how many staff left as a result of an unsatisfactory performance rating. In the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the policy is that all individuals should have monthly performance conversations, and performance ratings are collated and returned to human resources at end of year in April. The UKHSA only collected data for delegated grades for the 2024/25 performance year but has complete data for SCS staff for the last five years. The MHRA did not collect data for delegated grades or SCS staff for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 performance years. The following table shows the number of performance reviews undertaken by the UKHSA and the MHRA in the last five years: UKHSAMHRAYearSCSDelegated gradesSCSDelegated grades2020/21446Not recordedNot recordedNot recorded2021/22237Not recordedNot recordedNot recorded2022/23172Not recorded788372023/24145Not recorded1081,0242024/251181,5181341,272 In addition, the following table shows how many were rated as unsatisfactory or below, or the equivalent ratings used by the relevant organisations, on each occasion, for each of the last five years: UKHSAMHRAYearSCSDelegated gradesSCSDelegated grades2020/2100002021/2200002022/23[c]*00< 102023/24[c]*0[c]*< 102024/25[c]*39[c]*12Note: *[c] means confidential and suppressed due to small numbers of less than five. The UKHSA does not hold data on how many staff left as a result of an unsatisfactory performance rating. The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff at the MHRA and the percentage of the staff who left due to unsatisfactory ratings, for each of the last five years: 2020/212021/222022/232023/242024/25Total organisation FTE staff1,3341,097.21,1521,294.11,456.4Percentage of FTE staff who left due to unsatisfactory rating0%0%0%0%0%

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.

The Department’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance, or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.The number of staff in the Department who did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period, and those whose probationary period was extended, in each of the last five years is set out below:- in 2025, four staff did not retain employment and four had their probationary period extended;- in 2024, two staff did not retain employment and two had their probationary period extended;- in 2023, there were no staff who did not retain employment and no staff had their probationary period extended;- in 2022, four staff did not retain employment and three had their probationary period extended;- in 2021, one staff member did not retain employment and one had their probationary period extended.

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

The following data reflects employees’ self-declared disability information as of the end of September 2025. The following table shows the number of Department staff who declared as having a mental health condition by grade, as of September 2025:GradeHeadcountAdministrative Officer/Executive Officer10Higher Executive Officer/Fast Stream/Senior Executive Officer60Grade 7/650Senior Civil Servant[c]Total120Note: [c] means the figure is confidential and has been suppressed due to small numbers of less than five In addition, the following table shows the number of Department staff who declared as having a physical disability by grade, as of September 2025:GradeHeadcountAdministrative Officer/Executive Officer20Higher Executive Officer/Fast Stream/Senior Executive Officer70Grade 7/660Senior Civil Servant10Total160

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 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. This information is available through the Civil Service data browser for 2021 through 2025 at the following link:https://civil-service-statistics.jdac.service.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

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/

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: Civil Service statistics - GOV.UK

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 such 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 this represented.

DWPs performance management policy utilises a team-based approach. The policy requires the performance of every employee to be robustly assessed on an ongoing basis. However, the approach, and these reviews do not involve employees below the Senior Civil Service being assigned a rating. Consequently, we are unable to provide data on employees rated as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory performers, nor how many staff left as a result of such a rating.

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.

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 such 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 this represented.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was established on 7th February 2023. The data provided is from 1st April 2023 to present, in alignment with our performance year. We do not record any data relating to performance management for any of our agencies. DESNZ does not record the number of individual performance reviews undertaken, but records the formal ratings assigned at the end of each performance year at the end of March. For the 2023/24 annual cycle, 15 employees were rated as unsatisfactory or below. For 2024/25 period, 38 employees fell into this category. Data on the number of employees leaving as a direct result of an unsatisfactory performance rating is not recorded locally by DESNZ. There can be a combination of reasons for individuals leaving, so a direct correlation cannot be drawn.

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.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff left her 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/