Response: Appointments by exception since 4 July 2024
Published 30 August 2024
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| Reference number | FOI2024-00242 |
|---|---|
| Date of request | 14 August 2024 |
| Date of response | 30 August 2024 |
| Outcome | Information disclosed |
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (the department) received the following request for information which we responded to under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA):
Could you please provide me with the number of appointments by exception that have been made since the 4th of July 2024 in the DSIT? I would be grateful if this information could be broken down into:
How many civil servants have been appointed by exception in July?
The breakdown of these July appointments in relation to their pay bands.
How many civil servants have been appointed by exception from the 1st of August to either the date of your reply or the 31st of August?
The breakdown of these August appointments in relation to their pay bands.
Our response
We can confirm that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (the department) does hold the information in scope of your request. Please find answers to your questions below:
Question 1: ‘How many civil servants have been appointed by exception in July?’
The department appointed 13 civil servants using a permitted exception to the requirement for appointment on merit on the basis of a fair and open competition under Section 12 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (the Act).
Question 2: ‘The breakdown of these July appointments in relation to their pay bands.’
The breakdown of civil servants appointed using a permitted exception is as follows:
| Grade (or pay band) | Number of appointments by exception |
|---|---|
| Executive Officer | 2 |
| Higher Executive Officer | 1 |
| Senior Executive Officer | 4 |
| Grade 7 | 4 |
| Grade 6 | 1 |
| Senior Civil Servant (Pay Band 3) | 1 |
Question 3: ‘How many civil servants have been appointed by exception from the 1st of August to either the date of your reply or the 31st of August?’
The department appointed 3 civil servants using a permitted exception to the requirement for appointment on merit on the basis of a fair and open competition under Section 12 of the Act.
Question 4: ‘The breakdown of these August appointments in relation to their pay bands.’
The breakdown of civil servants appointed using a permitted exception is as follows:
| Grade (or pay band) | Number of appointments by exception |
|---|---|
| Senior Executive Officer | 1 |
| Grade 7 | 2 |
Note that this number of recent exceptions is typical for the department. The nature of the Department’s work means significant numbers of secondees and fixed term technical hires – for example, many of DSIT’s recent appointments by exception are technical staff to the Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute, which has made some short-term appointments for individuals with skills that are not currently available to the Civil Service.