Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many staff within his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff within her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport (central) currently sponsors visas for 33 skilled workers and has an additional 19 employees working on other visa types.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

There are 70 members of staff in the Department that hold a visa which permits them to work in the United Kingdom.

This figure includes staff on work and other visa routes. It does not include individuals granted pre or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

All staff are required to demonstrate a valid right to work in accordance with Home Office requirements.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not held centrally. Gathering this data would therefore incur disproportionate costs.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is his Department's policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice's Information Management Policy explains that non-corporate communication channels such as WhatsApp 'must not be used unless absolutely necessary'. The policy directs staff to the Non-corporate communication channels for government business guidance, which is the primary guidance that ministers and officials should follow. Recordkeeping responsibilities are listed in paragraphs 19 to 24.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of rough sleepers are not British nationals.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government recently published the annual rough sleeping snapshot count for autumn 2025 and the latest management information providing data from September – December 2025. Both of these publications include data on the nationality of people sleeping rough and can be accessed through gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Currently MHCLG have 6 employees who have indefinite leave to remain in the UK and 39 employees who require a visa.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many days in 2025 did the Pride Flag fly on the main Whitehall building operated by her Department.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

During 2025 the Pride Flag was not flown on 1 Horse Guards Road on behalf of HM Treasury

HM Treasury is only one department in GOGGS (Government Offices Great George Street, encompassing 1 Horse Guards Road and 100 Parliament Street). Flag flying is administered by DCMS and Government Property Agency.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many staff within her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

No staff in my Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As at 5 March 2026, 163 individuals are recorded as being employed on a visa by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) or its Arm’s Length Bodies.

MOD Civil Service jobs generally require candidates to be either UK nationals, Commonwealth citizens, or EEA nationals. Foreign nationals with valid visas, such as Skilled Worker Visas, are eligible to apply but must be able to provide evidence of their right to work.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff within his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The information requested regarding how many staff within the Department are reliant on a visa for employment is not held centrally. Right to work checks are carried out for all new employees as part of the recruitmenton process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many days in 2025 did the Pride Flag fly on the main Whitehall building operated by his Department.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Pride Flag was displayed for the following dates across the following building.

70 Whitehall – 30.06.25 – 05.07.25 (6 Days)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any civil servants hired by his Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Civil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

The Cabinet Office does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has less than five employees who are reliant on a visa for employment. The exact number has been redacted to avoid identification of individuals.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether any civil servants hired by her Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.

Compliance with CRaGA is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission, which publishes Recruitment Principles setting out the detailed rules departments must follow.

For departments who use Civil Service Jobs to manage their recruitment, which DCMS does, applicants are asked to provide diversity data on a voluntary basis only and no details are shared with hiring managers.

The positive action measures in the Equality Act 2010 allows employers to take proportionate action that aims to reduce disadvantage, meet different needs and increase participation. More information on this can be found on gov.uk.

Employers who choose to use positive action can help people who share a particular protected characteristic to overcome certain barriers under the measures. However, employers need to ensure they do this in a way which does not unfairly disadvantage other groups as this could amount to ‘positive discrimination’, which is unlawful.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

47 individuals in the Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many days in 2025 did the Pride Flag fly on the main Whitehall building operated by his Department.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Pride Flag was flown for five days on the Department’s main building in 2025.