Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many departmental employees were on performance management plans in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to thorough performance management and has in place robust processes to ensure that those who fall below the expected standards are supported to improve in a timely manner.

Those who cannot improve their performance, despite this additional support, may be dismissed.

MOD Main, Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) do not centrally collate all performance management plans.

For MOD Main, informal improvement plans are not centrally recorded and are used as a way of monitoring performance in the initial, informal stage of the process. Where performance does not improve, employees enter the formal stage of the process with the requirement for actions and measures around improving their performance to be recorded.

Performance management activity in the SDA is managed locally by line managers with HR support as needed and recorded at an individual level.

Figures for the UK Hydrographic Office have been withheld due to the risk of identification.