FOI reference: FOI-2025-2660
You asked
I wish to make a freedom of information request and would be grateful if you could supply the following information:
1) The number of roles across all components of the organisation, expressed in numbers of full-time employees (FTE), that are mainly or exclusively focussed on issues of equality, diversity, or inclusivity. This information should encompass all staff employed by the organisation, regardless of their geographical location.
Roles meeting this description could include (amongst other guises) “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer” (EDI) or “Diversity and Inclusion Project Managers”. Please break down, if possible, the number of roles per component part of the department’s operations.
For all roles meeting this description, please also provide, in order of preference, either a) the salary of these roles, b) the pay band of these roles, or c) the combined total salary of these roles. Please provide the information that is most in accordance with your data processing practices.
Please also advise if the organisation has any plans to hire further staff in these areas within the next 18 months, and the roles/pay bands that they are likely to occupy.
2) With the same criteria as above, please provide the number of internal training courses attended by staff which pertain to the issues encompassed by equality, diversity or inclusivity. Please include the name of the courses, the number of attendees, and the duration of the course.
3) Please, if possible, provide details of any internal EDI practices and networks, including the number of individuals who are members of such networks.
4) Please provide details of any external contractors brought in by the organisation to conduct training, advice, or guidance on issues relating to EDI. Where applicable this should include costs and associated manhours.
5) Please provide details of how equality, diversity and inclusivity is included in your procurement practices, the relative weight afforded to these considerations, and the current value of contracts in which EDI considerations was a part of the procurement process.
We said
Thank you for your request.
In response to your first question, as at 28 February 2025, the following roles were mainly or exclusively focused on issues of equality, diversity, or inclusivity:
Employee Experience Business Partner; 1 FTE; Civil Service Grade 7; published salary range: £56,020 to £66,043
Diversity and Inclusion Culture Senior Manager; 0.46 FTE; Civil Service SEO; published salary: £41,364 to £46,654
Senior Inclusion and Diversity Lead; 1 FTE; Civil Service SEO; published salary: £41,364 to £46,654
Inclusion, Culture and Wellbeing Officer; 2.38 FTE; Civil Service HEO; published salary: £34,075 to £38,718
At time of writing there are no plans to hire further staff into these areas within the next 18 months.
In response to your second question the following internal training courses were offered by the organisation, including staff attendance. This is taken from the start of the 24/25 financial year to month end (Feb 2025).
- Women into Leadership, 15 participants on an 11 week programme (90mins per week).
In February 2023 the ONS launched the Inclusion Interactive Experience. Since this course was introduced, it has been completed by 2885 staff but we cannot isolate the data to just this financial year. As we have partnered with an external organisation to facilitate this, further detail on cost is covered in our response to your fourth question.
In response to your third question the following EDI networks are in place within the organisation however membership numbers do fluctuate with leavers and new starters joining the organisation, and with no formal mechanism for recording membership, these approximate figures are provided from distribution lists:
Men's Network, 99 members
LGBTQ+ and allies, 300 members
Women's Network, 526 members
Social Mobility Network, 131 members
Disability Network, 500 members
Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage Network, 90 members
All Beliefs Network, 28 members
In response to your fourth question the following contractors have been brought in by the organisation to provide training, advice, or guidance on issues relating to EDI. This includes the cost for delivery and is taken from the start of the 24/25 financial year to month end (Feb 2025).
Speaker at International Women's Day, £250
Fertility Support and Advocacy in the Workplace, 7 August 2024, £211.65
Fertility Support and Advocacy in the Workplace, 17 October 2024, £211.65
Delivery of M4 -- Belonging and Brilliance project, £2,187.79
Purple Space Membership 2024/25 for Disability Network, £950
Carers UK Membership Renewal 2025, £2,500
Menopause Support, £10,200
Inclusion Interactive Experience, £22,590.31
Bloody Good Employers, £11,000
In response to your fifth question, approximately 80% of ONS commercial spend is via Crown Commercial Services (CCS) frameworks, so any Equality Diversity and Inclusion considerations would be part of those framework terms and conditions and we would advise approaching CCS directly if you need to further understand those framework terms.
For other procurements (Open Procedure for example) there is a minimum 10% weighting for Social Value where applicable and Equality Diversity and Inclusion can form part of this, but EDI itself is not something that is a stand alone, evaluated consideration for the procurement process.