Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability by grade.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Information on the number of people declaring a disability by each Government Department is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Latest published data as at 31 March 2025 can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025
Information on mental health conditions or type of disability is not reported as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, however the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does record them based on voluntary self-declarations which is then recorded on the MOD’s HR systems.
The tables below outline the number of recorded Physical and Mental Health disabilities within the department as at 31 October 2025.
Physical Disability | |
Paid Grade Grouping | Total |
Senior Civil Service | 17 |
Senior Leadership Group | 6 |
Grade 6 | 49 |
Senior Professional | 35 |
Grade 7 | 103 |
Professional I | 106 |
Senior Executive Officer | 277 |
Professional II | 243 |
Higher Executive Officer | 365 |
Senior Technical Specialist I | 160 |
Executive Officer | 323 |
Senior Technical Specialist II | 66 |
Administrative Officer | 390 |
Technical Specialist I | 70 |
Administrative Assistant | 117 |
Apprentice | ≤5 |
Graduate | ≤5 |
NHS Grades | 17 |
Outside Banding Structure | ≤5 |
Retained Grades | 61 |
Skillzone 1 | 14 |
Skillzone 2 | 58 |
Skillzone 3 | 32 |
Skillzone 4 | 6 |
Total | 2,522 |
Mental Health Disability | |
Paid Grade Grouping | Total |
Senior Civil Service | 7 |
Senior Leadership Group | ≤5 |
Grade 6 | 17 |
Senior Professional | 11 |
Grade 7 | 47 |
Professional I | 45 |
Senior Executive Officer | 125 |
Professional II | 112 |
Higher Executive Officer | 164 |
Senior Technical Specialist I | 135 |
Executive Officer | 138 |
Senior Technical Specialist II | 38 |
Administrative Officer | 148 |
Technical Specialist I | 42 |
Administrative Assistant | 55 |
Apprentice | 7 |
Graduate | ≤5 |
NHS Grades | 11 |
Retained Grades | 24 |
Veterans Agency | ≤5 |
Skillzone 1 | ≤5 |
Skillzone 2 | 18 |
Skillzone 3 | 8 |
Skillzone 4 | ≤5 |
Total | 1,166 |
Please note that the data in these tables do not reflect the actual numbers of MOD employees with a mental health or physical condition, but the number of employees who have self-voluntarily recorded their condition as a disability.
Where figures are less than or equal to 5, the data is shown as ‘≤5’ to avoid identifying the individuals concerned.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Civil Service staff networks to only meet outside working hours and have all events signed off by senior managers, published on 23 September 2025, what approvals have been given in (a) his Department and (b) the Office for Equality and Opportunity since 23 September 2025.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The cross Civil Service Network Policy applies as published to all cross-Civil Service Staff Networks only.
However it also acts as a model policy for Departments to adopt or adapt depending on business needs for their departmental networks. The Cabinet Office is now working to be able to adopt this policy for internal departmental networks and will carry out their own engagement with internal stakeholders to be able to adopt the policy.
The sign off and approval process for events will be part of this policy development for the Cabinet Office.The guidance will apply to all networks in Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effectiveness of (a) the Get Set Progress scheme and (b) paid internship programmes for disabled people; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues to (i) increase internships for disabled people and (ii) diversify the sources from which departments recruit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Ministers have been encouraged by the briefing they have received on the ‘Get Set Progress’ scheme, but no assessment has been carried out by this department.
Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. All government departments and employers must consider the Equality Act when providing internships.
Civil Service internships are a matter for Government Skills, part of the Cabinet Office and supported internships are a matter for the Department for Education.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of civil servants work from home for more than 80% of their contracted hours.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This information is not held centrally. Decisions on terms and conditions of employment, including flexible working arrangements, are made by the employing department. Heads of departments have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.
Data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. Data for the latest period for which data is available can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential financial impact of applying the Government commercial function terms and conditions of employment to the wider civil service.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
No such assessment has been made. Decisions on terms and conditions of employment are made by the employing department, depending on their specific business requirements and nature of the role and as set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to increase the amount of support it provides to injured veterans.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across Government and with civil society to ensure Veterans get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need. This year, we will set out our plans for Veterans in our updated Veterans’ Strategy. This Government will always stand up for those who have served our country.
Veterans who are resident in England can access specialist care for physical and mental health conditions via Op RESTORE and Op COURAGE respectively. Alternative provision is available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as responsibility for health is devolved.
Veterans UK, which is part of the Ministry of Defence, provides free support for Veterans and their families, including a helpline, Veterans Welfare Service, Defence Transition Services and injury/bereavement compensation scheme payments.
The Ministry of Defence runs two main compensation schemes – Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pension Scheme. Both Schemes provide compensation for injury or illness caused by Service. Eligible Veterans are entitled to make a claim, the details of which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-armed-forces-compensation-or-a-war-pension
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure the perspectives of older people are included in her Department's policy decision-making.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We know that work helps everyone, including older people, play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. That is why we are reforming
employment support to ensure it helps everyone who needs it.
This includes creating a new Jobs and Careers service that will enable everyone, regardless of age, to access support to find good, meaningful work, and help them progress in work or increase their earnings.
We are also committing to the establishment of ‘collaboration committees’ to further develop the reforms set out in our Pathways to Work Green Paper. These will bring together groups of people for specific work areas, including older people, collaborating with civil servants to provide discussion, challenge, and recommendations.
We have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent “Keep Britain Working” review as a part of the plan to Get Britain Working again. In recognition of employer's vital role, his review is considering recommendations to support and enable employers to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence, and recruit and retain more disabled people and people with health conditions. This includes the perspectives of older people themselves, as well as engaging with the Centre for Ageing Better.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what delegated flexibilities are available to her Department for calculating (a) working hours and (b) actual hours worked.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Terms and conditions of employment outside the Senior Civil Service are delegated to departments but must be managed in the public interest and in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, and through consultation with the Cabinet Office and His Majesty's Treasury.
Where a term of employment is contractual, like working hours, it cannot be changed for existing employees other than with their expressed agreement or through collective bargaining with the trade unions.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
To be eligible for statutory paternity leave, Cabinet Office policy currently requires employees to meet a series of qualifying conditions, including the requirement to have worked continuously for the Civil Service for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before the date the baby is due.
As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in line with the Government’s legislation on employment rights. .
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
No. The Civil Service Management Code states that, ‘Departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave.’ However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a particular department because they already have service with another department.
As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.
It may be helpful to explain that the Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain the employers and determine the terms and conditions for their employees.