Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full-time equivalent employees are employed by (a) his Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department; and what estimate he has made of the number of such employees who will be employed in 12 months.

We are working to ensure our workforce remains affordable and targeted at delivering the Department’s priorities and are committed to achieving a more efficient and effective civil service.

The number of civilian personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as at 1 October 2024 was 56,800 (Full Time Equivalent (FTE), rounded). This includes civilians within MOD Main Top Level Budgets, Executive Agencies and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, but excludes Locally Engaged Civilians.

The latest forecast is that the MOD will employ 55,430 (FTE, rounded) civilian personnel on 1 April 2025 (using the above inclusions and exclusion). The forecast is informed by assumptions based on historic outflow and current recruitment plans. This is an indicative number used for planning purposes, and not a target. This figure represents only one part of MOD's workforce, and the actual figure may be impacted by changes to the size and shape of other workforce types including military staff, reservists and contractors.

For those Non-Departmental Public Bodies that employ public servants, responsibility for their staffing levels and human resources policies is delegated to the organisation and information is not held centrally.