Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the written statement of 30 June 2026, HCWS165, on Defence funding update, what reductions in programme spending will be made to deliver further Department for Transport savings and (b) reduce departmental capital budgets by one per cent.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport is contributing to the reprioritisation of funding to support the Defence Investment Plan.

No final decisions have been taken and therefore, no projects have been formally cancelled, delayed, descoped or reprofiled at this stage and there are no revised regional allocations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Please see below table for each ALB:

a) How many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings or nearest equivalent

(b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally. Details on staffing and pensions can be found in the relevant annual report and accounts.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The information in question (a) is held by each ALB and not by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero .

Similar to above, the information for question b is held by the ALB’s and would not be held by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero .

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Rachel Blake

HM Treasury and its Arm's Length Bodies comply with their obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010 and carefully consider the implications of policy and other decisions for those sharing protected characteristics. HMT’s approach to PSED compliance is set out on the following gov.uk page: Equality and diversity - HM Treasury - GOV.UK.

2 FTE posts provide support, guidance and training to colleagues across the Treasury on fulfilling their legal responsibilities under the PSED. The information on equivalent FTE posts for the Arm's Length Bodies is not held centrally by HM Treasury.

Ensuring that decisions taken are PSED compliant, including through the provision of well-evidenced advice to Ministers, is the responsibility of the relevant members of staff and teams working on those issues. Accordingly, the Department does not maintain centrally held records of staffing, costs or outputs attributable solely to PSED compliance. HM Treasury also does not hold corresponding information for its Arm's Length Bodies and seeking to obtain it would involve a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is embedded into departmental policy-making and decision-making processes and is the responsibility of all those developing and taking decisions. DfT and its Arm’s Length Bodies do not have staff who work solely on PSED, although there is a small central team within the Department for Transport that supports equality policy and compliance alongside a portfolio of other work.

Given that responsibility for the duty sits across the department, the outputs vary between teams. It is not possible to identify a discrete FTE figure or calculate the overall cost of PSED compliance. The department does not publish an overall assessment of our PSED compliance.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) considerations, using Equality Impact Statements, are incorporated within broader policy, decision-making and governance functions undertaken by Ministry of Defence (MOD) staff as part of their wider duties. There are no full-time equivalent posts dedicated exclusively to PSED compliance and thus staffing costs or total annual costs relating solely to PSED compliance are not recorded. The Government Internal Audit Agency provides the MOD’s Permanent Secretary and Committees assurance on systems of governance, risk management and internal control Audit, including PSED. PSED Assurance Reports are not published externally.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Fewer than five full-time equivalent staff in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero are dedicated to the fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).

The exact number, associated annual employment costs and total annual costs are not disclosed to protect the identity of individual members of staff, in line with data protection principles.

Resourcing for PSED activity in Arm's Length Bodies is a matter for each body and is not held centrally by the Department; the hon. Member may wish to contact individual bodies directly.

The Department's PSED outputs include the annual publication of equality objectives and progress against them, building departmental capability through training, and producing guidance and resources. The Department's compliance with the PSED is published annually; the latest publication is DESNZ equality objectives and information: 2025 to 2026.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Seema Malhotra

The requested data is not centrally held by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

a) Information has been provided for Home Office Arm’s Length Bodies that employ their own staff. The figures in the table below are as at 31 March 2026 and have been provided to the Home Office by each ALB.

b) The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) and the Civil Servant and Other Pension Scheme (CSOPS) are unfunded multi-employer defined benefit schemes. Arm’s Length Bodies are unable to identify their share of the underlying assets and liabilities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is a statutory obligation that applies across the public sector. As a procedural duty to have "due regard" to equality considerations, compliance is an on-going responsibility rather than a one-off task. It is integrated into the day-to-day development and delivery of all policies and services; as such, it is a core responsibility of all civil servants across government, rather than being restricted to dedicated personnel.

Because it is a continuous, procedural duty applicable to all civil servants, it is impossible to disaggregate the specific fraction of time or cost dedicated solely to Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) compliance versus general policy and operational work.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Public Sector Equality Duty is a statutory obligation under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. Compliance is embedded in departmental policy, operational and service delivery work, rather than undertaken solely by dedicated personnel. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) do not hold central records of full time equivalent (FTE) staff or costs attributable solely to Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) activity. Separating PSED activity from ordinary business would incur disproportionate cost.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is a statutory obligation that applies across the public sector. As a procedural duty to have "due regard" to equality considerations, compliance is an on-going responsibility rather than a one-off task. It is integrated into the day-to-day development and delivery of all policies and services; as such, it is a core responsibility of all civil servants across government, rather than being restricted to dedicated personnel. Because it is a continuous, procedural duty applicable to all civil servants, it is impossible to disaggregate the specific fraction of time or cost dedicated solely to Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) compliance versus general policy and operational work. Attempting to calculate an FTE or cost figure would incur disproportionate cost and still be highly inaccurate. Sponsored Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) are independent public authorities directly responsible for their own compliance. Information regarding ALBs’ internal resource allocation is not held by DCMS.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the department.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is a statutory obligation that applies across the public sector. As a procedural duty to have "due regard" to equality considerations, compliance is an on-going responsibility rather than a one-off task. It is integrated into the day-to-day development and delivery of all policies and services; as such, it is a core responsibility of all civil servants across government, rather than being restricted to dedicated personnel.

Because it is a continuous, procedural duty applicable to all civil servants, it is impossible to disaggregate the specific fraction of time or cost dedicated solely to Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) compliance versus general policy and operational work. Attempting to calculate an FTE or cost figure would incur disproportionate cost and still be highly inaccurate.

Most MHCLG-sponsored NDPBs and HM Land Registry are independent public authorities responsible for their own compliance with statutory duties, including the Public Sector Equality Duty. Executive Agencies such as the Planning Inspectorate and QEII Centre operate under different governance arrangements, although they are also required to comply with applicable equality legislation. Information regarding ALBs’ internal resource allocation in relation to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is not held by MHCLG.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

A breakdown of staff within the requested bands for each body is provided in the following table.

Some of the department’s bodies are out of scope for this question. School Teachers’ Review Body does not have salaried staff. As non-ministerial departments, Ofsted and Ofqual have responsibility for their own staffing, pay and budgetary arrangements.

I have asked His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, and Ofqual’s Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, respectively to write directly to the honourable member. A copy of each reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Public sector pensions are unfunded multi-employer defined benefit schemes, and where an arm’s length body is a member of these schemes, it is not possible to separately identify their share of underlying assets and liabilities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Every government department has a responsibility under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), and must have due regard to specified equality considerations when carrying out its functions. This activity is embedded within mainstream roles in both the department and arm’s length bodies rather than undertaken by dedicated staff. The department does however have dedicated 0.8 Full Time Equivalent to support capability across the department, and provides assurance on compliance. Information on how we meet our PSED obligations is available on our Equality and Diversity page at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/equality-and-diversity.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP, as a public authority, is required to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). Responsibility for meeting these requirements is embedded across the Department and forms part of the responsibilities of all DWP employees. Guidance and support relating to the PSED are available to staff through departmental intranet resources.

There are no dedicated roles whose sole purpose is the fulfilment of the PSED, reflecting the Department's approach of embedding equality considerations into policy development, service design and delivery.

It is not possible to provide the total annual cost of compliance with the PSED across the Department, as responsibility for considering and meeting the Duty is integrated into a wide range of activities undertaken by employees as part of their normal roles.

The Department publishes information annually to demonstrate compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. This information includes data relating to both employees and service users and is published through the Department's Annual Report and Accounts (DWP annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK).

DWP’s sponsored Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) are independent public bodies directly responsible for their own compliance. Information regarding ALBs’ internal resource allocation is not held by DWP.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many FTE equivalent staff in (a) their Department and (b) each Arm's Length Body it sponsors are dedicated to fulfilment of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED); what the (i) annual employment and (ii) total annual cost incurred is as a result of PSED and compliance with PSED for each of those bodies; what the outputs are from the work of PSED teams and personnel dedicated to PSED; and if they will publish an assessment of their Department's compliance with PSED.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is a statutory obligation that applies across the public sector. As a procedural duty to have "due regard" to equality considerations, compliance is an on-going responsibility rather than a one-off task. It is integrated into the day-to-day development and delivery of all policies and services; as such, it is a core responsibility of all civil servants across government, rather than being restricted to dedicated personnel.

Because it is a continuous, procedural duty applicable to all civil servants, it is impossible to disaggregate the specific fraction of time or cost dedicated solely to Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) compliance versus general policy and operational work. Attempting to calculate an FTE or cost figure would incur disproportionate cost and still be highly inaccurate.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for each Arm's Length Body (ALB) their Department sponsors, (a) how many people are employed in the following bands of total earnings, or nearest equivalent, (i) under £25,000, (ii) £ 25,001 to £ 35,000, (iii) £35,001 to £50,270, (iv) £50,271 to £100,00, (v) £100,001 to £ 125,140 and (vi) over £125,140, and (b) what estimate they have made of the total unfunded public sector pension liability.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

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