To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff have (a) been dismissed and (b) had their contract terminated by his Department and its predecessors in each of the last five years; what the reason was in each case; and what the severance costs in relation to (i) dismissal and (ii) contract termination were in each such year. (290563)

Staff may be dismissed for poor performance, poor attendance, gross misconduct, repeated misconduct and the contract of employment terminated. Information for the Department and its predecessors in relation to dismissals is set out in the following table. Totals of less than five are suppressed on grounds of confidentiality.

Staff may also be dismissed in law when a fixed term contract terminates at the end of the contract period and is not renewed. These are not included.

Information about the costs of terminating contracts is not held in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Where the dismissal relates to either gross misconduct or repeated misconduct no severance cost payments are payable.