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Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation and Responsible Technology Adoption Unit: Staff

Asked by Damian HindsConservativeDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 21 October 2025UIN 78098

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many full time equivalent staff there were at each grade (a) in the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation at the end of the 2022-23 financial year, (b) in the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit at the end of the 2023-24 financial year, (c) in the Government Digital Service in functions equivalent to those of the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit, at the most recent date for which data is available and (d) elsewhere in her Department in functions equivalent to those of the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit, at the most recent date for which data is available.

Answered by Ian Murray

  1. Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI)
    At the end of the 2022–23 financial year, the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation was still part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). As such, staffing data for this period falls outside the remit of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
  2. Responsible Technology Adoption Unit (RTAU)
    At the end of the 2023–24 financial year, the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit had approximately 32.9 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff.
  3. Government Digital Service (GDS)
    The Responsible Technology Adoption Unit does not sit within the Government Digital Service. There is no direct equivalence between RTAU functions and those currently delivered by GDS.
  4. Elsewhere in DSIT – Equivalent Functions
    Following a departmental restructure, the RTAU was disbanded as a distinct directorate. Its functions were integrated into other DSIT policy teams.

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