Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish a breakdown of the number of full-time staff working on the Defending Democracy Taskforce in each year since it began.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce comprises Ministers and senior officials from multiple government departments, alongside representatives from law enforcement, the Parliamentary authorities, the Electoral Commission, and the UK Intelligence Community.

The Taskforce draws on expertise and skills from across this community. However, each department remains responsible for delivery on their respective priorities for the Taskforce, and provides resources as required.

There is also a dedicated Home Office team which supports the Taskforce in its work, including delivery of time limited work, which is reflected in the changing number of full time staff. In the financial year 2022-2023 and in 2023-2024, the staffing allocation to this central team was 12 full-time staff. In 2024-2025 this allocation was 9 full time-staff and the staffing allocation for the current year, 2025-2026, is 8.5 full-time staff.