Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many employee settlement agreements there were within the civil service in each year since 2020; and what the total value of such agreements was.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Full information on the use of settlement agreements is held by individual departments.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has for civil service (a) headcount levels and (b) budgets for the next five years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This government is committed to ensuring departments consider overall value for money in resourcing decisions.
To this end it has introduced a 2% target for reduction to administration budgets in financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26 and a stop to all non-essential spending on consultancy, with an aim to halve spending in future years.
As set out in the Budget, the government has committed to developing a long-term strategic plan for a more efficient and effective Civil Service, including bold options to improve skills, harness digital technology and drive better outcomes for public services.
Decisions relating to the size and cost of the Civil Service workforce will be considered as part of the Spending Review process. HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office will work closely with departments to develop plans that achieve the government’s reform objectives for the Civil Service.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the total salary cost of the civil service in each year between 2010 and 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office does not hold actual outturn salary cost information for all Civil Service departments and organisations since 2010.
However, estimated nominal Civil Service salary costs have previously been calculated for the years 2010 to 2024. These are provided in Table 1 below.
Table 1
Year | Estimated nominal salary cost (£ billions) |
2010 | 12.7 |
2011 | 12.4 |
2012 | 11.6 |
2013 | 11.4 |
2014 | 11.6 |
2015 | 11.7 |
2016 | 11.6 |
2017 | 11.8 |
2018 | 12.4 |
2019 | 13.2 |
2020 | 14.0 |
2021 | 15.4 |
2022 | 16.6 |
2023 | 17.8 |
2024 | 19.7 |
Source: Civil Service Statistics
Figures are based on Civil Service salaries as at 31st March in each year, and have been adjusted for missing values. They have not been adjusted for inflation (i.e. they are nominal values).
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the full-time equivalent headcount of the civil service in each year between 2010 and 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4 October 2024 is attached.