Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department are responsible for (a) processing and (b) responding to Freedom of Information Act requests; and if he will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this work.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD), due to its size and complexity, does not operate a central team responsible for answering all Freedom of Information (FOI) requests received by the Department nor is there a central budget for handling FOI requests. Every business area within MOD plays a part in managing FOI requests who wholly or in part contribute to the processing of FOI requests, including Departmental Secretariats who also have responsibility for Parliamentary correspondence.

Given this, annual costs are not held and are subsumed into each Defence organisations business operating budgets and it would not be possible to make an estimate of the annual cost of this work.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in her Department are responsible for (a) processing and (b) responding to Freedom of Information Act requests; and if she will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this work.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

A team of 22.6 full time equivalent (FTE) staff are responsible for processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests received by the Department. They do this alongside other duties including managing requests for personal data.

Responses to FOIA requests are drafted by the teams in the Department and its agencies that hold the requested information.

The Department’s annual reports and accounts include information on departmental expenditure and can be found via the following link: Ministry of Justice Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many staff in his Department are responsible for (a) processing and (b) responding to Freedom of Information Act requests; and if he will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this work.

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

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not have a specific number of staff tasked with processing and responding to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. On receipt, FOI requests are allocated to officials in the area of the Department relevant to the subject of the request, who then provide the response.

The Department’s Information Rights Team (IRT) provides advice and assistance to staff on the application of information rights legislation. The IRT consists of seven members of staff.

FOI requests vary considerably from case-to-case in terms of complexity and effort required to provide a response. It is not possible to estimate the annual cost of responding to all the FOI requests the department receives.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the total installed capacity is of combined-cycle gas turbine power stations in the UK; how much of that capacity is from plants commissioned in the last (a) five and (b) 20 years; and what the projected total capacity requirement is expected to be by 2029.

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

Data on combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power stations are published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics.

Modelling analysis from the National Energy System Operator, which covers Great Britain, suggests around 35GW of unabated gas capacity, which includes CCGTs as well as other types of gas generators, will need to be available by 2030 to maintain security of supply.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff are responsible for (a) processing and (b) responding to Freedom of Information Act requests related to police forces in England and Wales; and if she will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not centrally hold this information.

Each police force is a separate public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act and is responsible for processing and responding to requests they receive.

However, we agree with the Hon Member that the burden of responding to FOI requests is not one that we wish to see increasing unnecessarily on police forces at a time we are seeking to maximise the resources devoted to neighbourhood policing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on measures to achieve net zero targets in the last five years.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

High and rising school standards are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. Ensuring schools have the high quality and sustainable buildings they need is a key part of that.

The department has a critical role to play in all aspects of sustainability, including the drive to achieve net zero and supporting the delivery of the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and Net Zero Strategy.

Since November 2021, the department has required that all new department-delivered schools will be designed to be net zero carbon in operation, alongside investment to increase green infrastructure and sustainable water management on school sites.

Capital funding is allocated to the school sector each year for improving the condition of the estate and to keep schools safe and operational. Funding can also support projects that improve the energy efficiency, sustainability and resilience to climate change of school buildings. Decisions on which projects to prioritise are primarily taken at a local level.

The department allocated an additional £447 million of capital funding in 2022/23 for schools and sixth form colleges for capital improvements to buildings and facilities, prioritising energy efficiency and supported by guidance for schools on effective approaches.

To make sure that the department is tackling the most urgent need in the school estate, we have committed to rebuilding or significantly refurbishing buildings at 518 schools through the School Rebuilding Programme. New buildings delivered through the programme are designed to be net zero carbon in operation and more resilient to the effects of climate change.

In 2022/23, further education (FE) colleges were allocated £53 million to improve facilities, prioritising energy efficiency. All condition improvement projects receiving departmental grant funding and delivered by FE colleges have been required to consider the 2021 FE Output Specification, which advises how to achieve net zero in operation. FE colleges have also been able to support condition improvement projects that support energy efficiency and sustainability and keep colleges safe and operational.

Schools, as other public bodies, have also been able to access funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff in his Department are responsible for (a) processing and (b) responding to Freedom of Information Act requests; and if he will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this work.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not track the costs or total staff numbers required to respond to Freedom of Information (FOIs) as the work is devolved across the department and depends on the complexity and sensitivities involved in each individual request. FOI requests submitted to the FCDO, are handled by officers from the relevant department depending on the: issue, policy or country the request relates to, with input and professional advice concerning the application of the FOI Act from the FOI team within IRU (Information Rights Unit).

As such it is not possible to give an accurate number of staff working on FOIs or the total costs involved. Complex cases may also involve legal counsel from both within and without the department with associated costs.

The FOI team in the IRU consists of 22 staff and deals with FOIs, Internal Reviews, ICO complaints and Tribunals.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in her Department are responsible for (a) processing and (b) responding to Freedom of Information Act requests; and if she will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this work.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not keep this information centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs. This is because, whilst all Freedom of Information (FOI) requests are cleared by a central team, depending on the nature of the request, any member of the Department’s staff could potentially be involved in: processing; locating information for; or drafting, a response to a FOI request.

DWP Departmental spend is published here: DWP: departmental spending over £25,000 - GOV.UK

The Bereavement Journey programme