Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, published on 23 October 2025, who authorised the change in reporting methodology to exclude Government Commercial Function and Fast Stream staff from the Department’s workforce figures; and on what evidential or accounting basis that decision was made.

The statement on page 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025 only refers to the staff included in ‘Section 2.12 - Diversity and Inclusion’ does not refer to data provided in earlier sections on departmental headcount. These individuals are included in the departmental headcount on Page 99 under the 4,370 Cabinet Office staff recharged to other government departments.

Government Commercial Function and Fast Stream staff are excluded from Section 2.12 as they work full time in other government departments and so are not part of the day to day workforce of the Cabinet Office. This change in how diversity information was presented in the report was signed off by a senior civil servant in the department’s HR function.