Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost to the public purse was of staff diversity networks in his Department in each of the last five years.

Our financial records show that for the five financial Years 19/20 to 23/24 costs recorded for our staff networks total £215, 835.

This does not include expenditure by all staff networks which may have had costs met through central budgets based on specific business cases and other ad-hoc requests during the period. Disproportionate effort would be required to identify such costs.

In addition, the Government has audited the cost-effectiveness of all equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) activities, through the review of EDI spending announced last June. On 14th May the Minister without Portfolio made a written statement on the latest findings from the review.

In response to these findings, the Cabinet Office has published the Civil Service EDI Expenditure Guidance. This includes an end to all external spending on EDI activity, unless cleared and authorised by Ministers.

The Cabinet Office is also developing new guidance for staff diversity networks. This will outline clear expectations and parameters around the role and function of networks so that they support productivity and are aligned to Civil Service Values, Civil Service D&I Strategy and Government Reform commitments.