Neil O'Brien MP: written questions
507 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Department for Business and Trade: Career DevelopmentDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96808More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
Answer: The information provided below relates to the recorded ratings on the Department’s HR information system for the period of 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025, in line with the Department’s performance cycle.Delegated grades within the Department have two p...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Business and Trade: Career DevelopmentDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96807More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of staff were promoted (a) in-grade and (b) to a higher grade in the last year broken down by (i) performance marking in the previous year and (ii) grade.
Answer: As of 31 March 2025, a total of 576 civil servants, representing approximately 9.7% of those on the payroll, were promoted to higher grades during the previous year. The table below provides a breakdown of these promotions by performance marking (as of 31...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Business and Trade: Sick LeaveDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96806More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) the Department and (b) its executive agencies in the last year; and how many formal
Answer: A) The table shows the average number of working days lost (AWDL) to sickness absence per staff in DBT and its executive agencies in the last year (between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025) OrganisationAWDLDepartment for Business and Trade3.58 daysExecutive...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: Disciplinary ProceedingsDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96805More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the past twelve months, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related
Answer: The requested information is available in the table below: Disciplinary Cases ConcludedTotals Department of EducationAgencies32<5OutcomesAlternative role<5<5Dismissal<5<5Final Written<5<5Final Written - 24 months<5<5First Writte...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: Redundancy PayDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96804More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff in her Department in the last year.
Answer: For the last financial year, the total cost to the department of payments associated with settlement agreements is set out in annual report and accounts. Where relevant, this includes special severance payments that have associated settlement agreements.
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: Performance AppraisalDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96803More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of staff in her Department in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
Answer: The department does not currently operate a performance management system that includes ratings. However, it is in the process of introducing ratings for its Senior Civil Servants, with ratings for the 2025/26 performance year due to be determined in spri...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: Career DevelopmentDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96802More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of staff in her Department were promoted (a) in-grade and (b) to a higher grade in the last year broken down by (i) performance marking in the previous year and (ii) grade.
Answer: The table below shows the grade breakdown and proportions of promotions to a higher grade (excluding temporary promotions) between November 2025 and October 2025. Please note: The promotion counts shown are based on internal departmental staff who were pr...
Answered 28 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Education: Sick LeaveDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96801More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) the Department and (b) its executive agencies in the last year; and how many formal performan
Answer: Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns, is published annually. The data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The next update will be for the year ending 31 March 2025. In th...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCultural Relations: ExpenditureDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96739More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the net expenditure of her Department was on projects related to cultural diplomacy in the last financial year.
Answer: DCMS works with a range of partners and ALBs to deliver on the Government’s cultural diplomacy and soft power objectives, including the FCDO, British Council, and GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign. As such, the department’s direct spending on ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Freedom of InformationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96738More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 45822 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Equality, if she will publish the Freedom of Information Act response with
Answer: The Freedom of Information Act response has been published and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staff-numbers-in-the-hr-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-edi-team-foi202524724.
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96204More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional households will become subject to the Household Benefit Cap following the removal of the two-child limit on the Universal Credit child element.
Answer: The requested information is not available.
Answered 8 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96202More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households are exempt from the Household Benefit Cap solely as a result of receiving (a) Personal Independence Payment and (b) Carer’s Allowance by region.
Answer: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Answered 8 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96201More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households are exempt from the Household Benefit Cap solely as a result of receiving (a) Disability Living Allowance and (b) Attendance Allowance by region.
Answer: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Answered 8 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96200More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of total benefit income received by the average benefit-capped household is accounted for by (a) Universal Credit excluding child elements, (b) the Universal Credit child element, (c) Ho
Answer: The information is not available. This is because, whilst there are different elements in the determination of the gross entitlement, Universal Credit is paid as one single payment. As such it is not possible to quantify the amount of Universal Credit exc...
Answered 8 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95982More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of each exemption from the Household Benefit Cap on (a) the number of households subject to the cap and (b) overall welfare expenditure.
Answer: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95981More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households with total benefit entitlement above the level of the Household Benefit Cap have entitlement above (a) £30,000, (b) £40,000 and (c) £50,000 per year, or the equivalent weekly and mon
Answer: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Social Rented HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95980More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households currently subject to the Household Benefit Cap are living in (a) council housing and (b) housing association accommodation.
Answer: There were 540 households on Housing Benefit affected by the benefit cap in May 2025. Of these, 40 were living in council housing and 100 were living in housing association accommodation.There were 123,000 households on Universal Credit affected by the be...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95979More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional households that would become subject to the Household Benefit Cap following the removal of the two-child limit on the Universal Credit C
Answer: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving Tests: LocationDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95328More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of driving-test bookings had their test location changed before the test was taken in the last 12 months.
Answer: Between the 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025, just over 565,000 tests were recorded as being moved between driving test centres (DTC). This equates to approximately 31% of tests. Please note, in line with other published data that the Driver and Vehicle Stand...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Disciplinary ProceedingsDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93426More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) the Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B)
Answer: Over the past 12 months (1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025), a total of 247 ‘Discipline’ cases and 58 ‘Managing Poor Performance’ cases have been concluded in the Department for Transport’s central department and its Executive Agencies. A breakdown o...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Redundancy PayDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93425More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff in the last year.
Answer: For the last year (1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025), there have been no settlement agreements or special severance payments made to departing Department for Transport central staff outside of statutory, contractual or other requirements.
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Performance AppraisalDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93424More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
Answer: The table below shows the number and proportion of each non-Senior Civil Service (SCS) grade receiving the top performance category at the end of 2024/25 for DfTc. GradeNumber of staff receiving the top performance category (“Outstanding”)Proportion of st...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Career DevelopmentDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93423More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of staff were promoted (a) in-grade and (b) to a higher grade in the last year broken down by (i) performance marking in the previous year and (ii) grade.
Answer: Higher Grade promotions Total StaffHigher grade promotionsProportionAO/EO52951%HEO/SEO/FS18201388%G7/G618161186%SCS267218%Totals44322826% Payband GroupsHigher grade promotions23/24 Year End MarkingAE/EO5Not Available/ReportableHEO/SEO/FS24AchievingHEO/SE...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Transport: Sick LeaveDepartment for TransportTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93422More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) the Department and (b) its executive agencies in the last year; and how many formal performan
Answer: The figures below are calculated as a rolling 12-month period up until 31st October 2025.The Average Working Days Lost for the Department is currently 4.2.The table below shows the average working days lost for the Department’s Executive Agencies Column1A...
Answered 28 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability Living Allowance: MotabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93275More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Disability Living Allowance claimants had active contracts with the Motability Scheme in (a) the East Midlands, (b) the West Midlands, and (c) the East of England in March of each of the last f
Answer: Information on Disability Living Allowance claimants with an active Motability Scheme is not held centrally for analytical purposes. Such information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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