Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the guidance entitled Fast Stream and Emerging Talent (FSET) data privacy notice, published on 13 November 2025, for what reason the Fast Stream data is collected by gender.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Fast Stream collected data on applicant’s gender until November 2024. As of September 2025 we now collect data on an applicant’s sex. The references to gender remain in our privacy policy as we retain historical records of data in line with this agreement.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of trends in the level of discrimination against civil servants not a member of a trade union in (a) employment and (b) promotion decisions.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
No assessment has been made as information about trade union membership is not collected during the recruitment process. Decisions on permanent employment into and promotion within the Civil Service are made in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, which requires appointments to be made ‘on merit on the basis of fair and open competition’.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2025, to Question 50576 on Cabinet Office: Recruitment, whether members of the Senior Civil Service can be permanently promoted up a grade without open and fair competition.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Promotion on a permanent basis can only take place after fair and open competition. Senior Civil Service vacancies are advertised externally by default and exceptions must be approved by a Minister or Permanent Secretary equivalent in non-Ministerial departments. Civil Service Commissioners chair all competitions for SCS3 and SCS4 posts to ensure appointments are made on merit.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether applicants for Civil Service jobs have to declare any previous dismissals from the Civil Service as a result of misconduct or performance on their application.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Civil Service expects all applicants to maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity throughout the recruitment process.
Successful applicants are required to provide a complete and accurate employment history. Departments are responsible for ensuring pre-employment checks are undertaken to verify this information, which include previous employment in the Civil Service and the reasons for its cessation, including dismissals due to misconduct or performance.
Failure to provide a truthful and complete account of employment history, or the deliberate omission of material facts, may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or subsequent disciplinary action if discovered after appointment.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many appointments to ministerial private office have been made by exceptions to the civil service recruitment principles since July 2024; and how many transfers of civil servants from other departments by exceptions there have been since that date.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Between July 2024 and 03 November 2025 there were no appointments made by exception to Ministerial Private Offices among the delegated grades (below Senior Civil Servant (SCS) level). However, during this period there was one direct Ministerial appointment at SCS level, this was the Strategic Advisor to the Secretary of State and Head of Review and Challenge.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future
Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition
Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers.
People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy.
Defra took part in the Autism Exchange Internship Programme in 2025 and previous years. This Cabinet Office led scheme supports young, autistic people aged 18 - 25 to gain work experience and develop employability skills.
Defra also participates in the Fast Stream Summer Internship Scheme, which from 2026 will be targeted at those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Civil Service is committed to a truly diverse workforce and culture of openness and inclusivity, not as ends in themselves but as means of delivering better outcomes to the citizens we serve. As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.
Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.
Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers. People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy. The department ran the annual GFiE accredited Care Leaver Internship Scheme in August 2025.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, DESNZ are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recruitment must follow the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 legislation, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.
Whilst recruitment into DESNZ does not focus solely on underrepresented groups we want to ensure all groups feel supported during the recruitment process and see DESNZ as an employer of choice. As part of our recruitment process, we:
DESNZ has run or supported the following programmes aimed at supporting underrepresented groups in the workforce in the past year:
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
(a) As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024-2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future. Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio- economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers. People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career.
The Northern Ireland Office has not run a GFiE accredited scheme in the last year.
(b) The Northern Ireland Office has not recruited for any internship schemes in the last year.