Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many settlement payments his Department issued following claims of (a) bullying, (b) harassment and (c) discrimination in the (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21, (iii) 2021-22 and (iv) 2022-23 financial years.

The Cabinet Office follows the principles laid out in the Cabinet Office Guidance on Settlement Agreements, Special Severance Payments on Termination of Employment and Confidentiality Clauses which is published on the internet here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d2c7852ed915d2fe7abea6d/Cabinet-Office-guidance-on-settlement-agreements-special-severance-payments-on-termination-of-employment-and-confidentiality-clauses.pdf, and the HM Treasury Guidance on Public Sector Exit payments, which is published on the internet here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60af4ab3d3bf7f737e058da9/SPECIAL_SEVERANCE_GUIDANCE_v3_FINAL.pdf when considering any settlement agreements.

The Cabinet Office is unable to ascertain from the data available the specific settlement by individual claims of a) bullying, b) harassment and c) discrimination for the financial years provided. This is due to the interlinked nature of claims, which means that an individual could raise a case that covers several of these areas.

The Cabinet Office takes all allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination seriously. Staff are encouraged to raise any concerns through the departmental Dispute or Disciplinary policies to enable swift investigation into concerns raised.