Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff left his Department in each of the last five years by grade.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
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/
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of departmental staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Senior civil servants (SCS) and delegated grades follow different performance management frameworks. SCS’ operate within the framework for SCS performance management prescribed by 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. The following table shows the top ratings within the different performance management frameworks by grade and proportion, as of April 2025:
Grade | Number rated in the top performance category | Proportion |
Executive Officer | 30 | 14% |
Higher Executive Officer | 55 | 11% |
Senior Executive Officer | 80 | 12% |
Grade 7 | 170 | 17% |
Grade 6 | 90 | 23% |
SCS | 30 | 14% |
Notes:
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, 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.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The average number of working days lost per full-time equivalent member of staff in the Department in the period between October 2024 and September 2025, the most recent period for which records are available, was 5.12.
The average number of working days lost per full-time equivalent member of staff in the executive agencies over the same period was 8.22 in the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and 5.71 in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
There were no formal performance warnings issued against civil servants in the Department or the UKHSA between 1 December 2024 and 30 November 2025 where the civil servant was also issued a formal attendance warning for exceeding sickness trigger points.
There were four formal performance warnings issues to staff in the MHRA whose absence exceeded departmental triggers.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing departmental staff in the last year.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
During the period 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025, the total cost of settlement agreements to the Department was £15,000. Under HM Treasury’s rules, payments made under settlement agreements are classed as Special Severance Payments.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of departmental 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.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of 28 November 2025, the Department had 112 employees, or 3%, on a temporary promotion to a higher grade from their substantive grade. The following table shows the percentage of employees on temporary promotion, broken down by grade:
Grade | Percentage on temporary promotion |
Higher Executive Officer | 4% |
Senior Executive Officer | 3% |
Grade 7 | 2% |
Grade 6 | 6% |
Senior Civil Service 1 | 5% |
Overall | 3% |
We have only recently started to capture performance markings on the system and so cannot provide a breakdown for last year. Due to the way our data is held, we are not able to provide a breakdown of the number or proportion of staff who were promoted to a higher grade whilst on temporary promotion.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been employed by (a) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and (b) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in each year since 2005.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table attached shows the annual budget and the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees for the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Care Quality Commission, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, each year from 2005/06 to 2024/25. The number of people employed by each arm's-length body has been recorded as FTE (payroll). The annual budget comprises both the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit and the Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit to give the total Departmental Expenditure Limit budget.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual budget was for the (a) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and (b) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in each year since 2005.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table attached shows the annual budget and the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees for the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Care Quality Commission, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, each year from 2005/06 to 2024/25. The number of people employed by each arm's-length body has been recorded as FTE (payroll). The annual budget comprises both the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit and the Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit to give the total Departmental Expenditure Limit budget.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual budget was for the (a) Care Quality Commission, (b) UK Health Security Agency and (c) the Food Standards Agency in each year since 2005.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table attached shows the annual budget and the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees for the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Care Quality Commission, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, each year from 2005/06 to 2024/25. The number of people employed by each arm's-length body has been recorded as FTE (payroll). The annual budget comprises both the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit and the Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit to give the total Departmental Expenditure Limit budget.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been employed by (a) the Care Quality Commission, (b) the UK Health Security Agency and (c) the Food Standards Agency in each year since 2005.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table attached shows the annual budget and the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees for the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Care Quality Commission, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, each year from 2005/06 to 2024/25. The number of people employed by each arm's-length body has been recorded as FTE (payroll). The annual budget comprises both the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit and the Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit to give the total Departmental Expenditure Limit budget.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
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 recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability by grade.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
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:
Grade | Headcount |
Administrative Officer/Executive Officer | 10 |
Higher Executive Officer/Fast Stream/Senior Executive Officer | 60 |
Grade 7/6 | 50 |
Senior Civil Servant | [c] |
Total | 120 |
Note: [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:
Grade | Headcount |
Administrative Officer/Executive Officer | 20 |
Higher Executive Officer/Fast Stream/Senior Executive Officer | 70 |
Grade 7/6 | 60 |
Senior Civil Servant | 10 |
Total | 160 |