Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what structures are in place for annual performance reviews for senior civil servants; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those arrangements on (a) adequate scrutiny and (b) enhanced productivity.

Members of the Senior Civil Service (SCS) are subject to an annual performance review process, governed by the central SCS performance management framework published on Performance management framework for the Senior Civil Service (2025 to 2026 performance year) - GOV.UK

The central framework is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is fit for purpose. Changes were introduced in April of this year, to ensure a greater focus on the productivity of the Senior Civil Service. This included the introduction of minimum standards, expected distribution and a cross-Government consistency check meeting.