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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2026, to Question 20451, how many working class civil servants have been recruited under the scheme.

Civil Service (CS) Masterclasses received accreditation as a formal life chances scheme at the end of January 2025. The CS Masterclasses offers a 2-week face to face programme for individuals from areas of lower social mobility. The scheme is designed to recruit individuals who would typically face barriers when applying for Civil Service roles and focuses on enhancing social mobility for the Civil Service.

Since then, we have run 15 cohorts; 10 in Liverpool City Region and 5 in Greater Manchester. ​

359 people who completed the CS Masterclass are now either in a Civil Service post (301) or currently being onboarded into the Civil Service (58). The departments who have recruited through this scheme are DBS, DWP, HMCTS, Home Office, and MHCLG.