To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) disciplinary and (b) capability procedures have been (i) initiated and (ii) completed in his Department in each of the last five years; how much time on average was taken to complete each type of procedure in each such year; how many and what proportion of his Department’s staff were subject to each type of procedure in each such year; and how many and what proportion of each type of procedure resulted in the dismissal of the member of staff. (320637)

This information is not held in the format requested. Prior to April 2007 all cases were managed locally and data on the number of cases initiated are not available. Information on average time taken to complete each type of procedure is not recorded, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

In the Ministry of Defence, if an individual’s performance is identified as unsatisfactory they may be subject to the Restoring Efficiency process, which involves warning the individual, encouraging improvement, and allowing a reasonable opportunity to improve. If a satisfactory performance is not achieved the individual may be dismissed or downgraded.

The number of Restoring Efficiency and disciplinary procedures initiated in each financial year and the number of dismissals in the same period—but which might include cases initiated in the previous financial year—was as follows:

These figures include staff in MOD agencies but exclude trading funds and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

There is also a range of disciplinary penalties less than dismissal: Reprimand; Restitution; Loss of one, five or 10 day’s pay; Downgrading with a ban on promotion for up to three years.