Department for Education: Disclosure of Information
(asked on 14th November 2022) - View Source
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) non-disclosure and (b) other confidentiality agreements relating to (i) employment, (ii) bullying, (iii) misconduct and (iii) harassment cases have been agreed by their Department in each year since 1 January 2010; and how much money from the public purse has been spent on (A) legal costs and (B) financial settlements for such agreements in each year since 1 January 2010.
The Department has not used non-disclosure or other confidentiality agreements with current or former employees from 2014 onwards.
The Government is clear that confidentiality clauses should not be used to prevent staff from raising or discussing allegations of bullying, harassment, or discrimination.
The Department did enter into some such agreements between 2010 and 2013. The table below shows the number of such agreements and the financial settlements agreed in each financial year.
Financial Year | Number of agreements | Cost of settlements |
2010/11 | Fewer than 10 | £35,750 |
2011/12 | Fewer than 10 | £117,398 |
2012/13 | Fewer than 10 | £122,885 |
The Department does not hold information on the legal costs during that period.