Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Performance Appraisal
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
Answered by Dame Angela Eagle
In core Defra, high performance substantive senior civil servants are those with an end-year performance rating of “Exceeded”. The headcount and proportion of each grade for those employed during the period November 2024 – October 2025 were:
Grade* | Number of employees | Proportion of Grade who achieved ‘Exceeded’ as their end-year performance decision |
Senior Civil Servant Pay Band 1 | 16 |
|
Senior Civil Servant Pay Band 2 |
|
|
* Where individuals changed substantive grade during the period, they are reported against their earliest substantive grade.
c. These numbers are suppressed in accordance with the Defra data protection policy.
End-year performance decisions were removed from the performance management framework for delegated staff grades in April 2023. Delegated staff grades are recognised through continuous recognition awards.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →