Asked by: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 2 January (HL13204), whether they expect the overall Civil Service headcount to decrease, stay the same, or increase between this year and 2030.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Departments are developing plans on the size and shape of their workforces as per the financial settlements that were agreed with HMT in the Spending Review and the priorities set by Ministers, including those set out in the Autumn Budget. These plans will take a whole workforce approach based on the cost of civil servants, Contingent Labour, Consultancy and Managed Services.
At an overall Civil Service level, we have set out plans to reduce back office costs by 16% over the next five years, delivering savings of over £2.2 billion a year by 2030 and targeting spending on front line services. The Civil Service is committed to publishing a Civil Service Strategic Workforce Plan this year, which will confirm more details about the plans for our workforce.
Asked by: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 2 January (HL13132), whether the arm's length bodies (ALB) review described as "recently completed" in paragraph 2.84 of the November 2025 Budget is a separate review to the one described as ongoing in this answer; and whether the decision to close NHS England, announced on 13 March 2025, was a result of either of these ALB reviews.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The reference in paragraph 2.84 of the November 2025 Budget refers to the arm's length body review that was launched on 6 April 2025. That review is ongoing. The decision to close NHS England, announced on 13 March 2025, predates the launch of the arm's length bodies (ALB) review.
Asked by: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the review of arm’s length bodies will conclude; whether they have begun to implement its recommendations; and when the expect the implementation of recommendations to be completed.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Arm's Length Body Review, formally launched on 7th April 2025 is ongoing, its outcomes will be communicated in due course. Some changes have already been announced such as the closure of NHS England to reduce bureaucracy, make savings and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients. Additionally, closures of some ALBs such as the UK Space Agency and its repatriation into DSIT are already underway..
Asked by: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government (1) what the Civil Service headcount was in (a) 2023–24 and (b) 2024–2025; and; (2) what is the expected headcount for (a) 2025–26, (b) 2026–27, (c) 2027–28, (d) 2028–29, and (e) 2029–2030.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Please see the table below for 2024, 2025 and latest available figures on Civil Service employment sourced from ONS Public Sector Employment Statistics.
| 31 March 2024 | 31 March 2025 | 30 Sept 2025* |
Full-time equivalent | 510,720 | 516,470 | 520,440 |
Headcount | 543,530 | 550,150 | 554,315 |
*latest available
Each department will take a decision on its future size and shape as per the financial settlements that were agreed with HM Treasury in the Spending Review. These plans will take a whole workforce approach based on the cost of civil servants, Contingent Labour, Consultancy and Managed Services, and will be finalised through the business planning process that is currently underway.
Asked by: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what work they plan to undertake to make arm's-length bodies and the arm's-length body landscape more effective, efficient and accountable.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As announced on 6th April 2025, the Government is conducting a full-scale review of arm's-length bodies in order to reduce the duplication of work by public bodies, improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary costs, and improve transparency. This review is ongoing, but some changes have already been announced such as the closure of NHS England to reduce bureaucracy, make savings and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients.