The Government published “The UK Future Skills-Based Immigration System” White Paper in December 2018. The White Paper set out the Government’s intention to have a route for skilled migrants and that the route would not be capped.

On 24 June 2019, the Government asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to consider the operation of salary thresholds in the future immigration system, including the impact of exemptions from minimum salary thresholds. The MAC is due to report by January 2020.

We recognise the vital contribution that scientists make to the UK. In his spring statement, my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed that PhD level occupations would be exempt from the Tier 2 cap. Additionally, researchers applying for settlement are exempt from the rule which states that, there should be no absence from the UK for 180 days if the absence from the UK is for the purpose carrying out research. A number of research roles also appear on the Shortage Occupation List which also exempts them from the settlement salary threshold

The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route is also available for internationally recognised leaders and promising future leaders, including in the science and research sector.

On 24 June 2019, the Government asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to consider the operation of salary thresholds in the future immigration system, including the impact of exemptions from minimum salary thresholds. The MAC is due to report by January 2020.

We recognise the vital contribution that scientists make to the UK. In his spring statement, my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed that PhD level occupations would be exempt from the Tier 2 cap. Additionally, researchers applying for settlement are exempt from the rule which states that, there should be no absence from the UK for 180 days if the absence from the UK is for the purpose carrying out research. A number of research roles also appear on the Shortage Occupation List which also exempts them from the settlement salary threshold

The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route is also available for internationally recognised leaders and promising future leaders, including in the science and research sector.

All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

Based on the self-declaration rates held on our system at the time of this question, the number of staff in the Department for Exiting the European Union of non - UK EU countries, is fewer than 10. This figure is based entirely on people identifying themselves as an EU national on the Department’s HR system.

The Department has no agencies or non-departmental public bodies.

It is not currently possible to establish how many citizens of non-UK EU countries are currently working in The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

We do not centrally hold details of staff working for outsourced companies or agencies.

The table below provides details on the number of citizens of non-UK EU countries working in the Department for Transport as at 30^th September 2018. The figures provided cannot be considered as comprehensive for the following reasons;

• The data provided only represents the number of staff where nationality has been declared by the individual and captured on an HR system.
• The Central Department, Executive Agencies and NDPB capture some nationality data during the recruitment of new entrants but this has not always been the case historically.
• This data is also not always stored on HR systems after recruitment, because different areas of the department have not operated the same HR systems, and there has not been a consistent approach to this data between the centre, the agencies and our NDPBs.

Please note, although as a non-Ministerial Department, the Office of Rail and Road does not fall within the scope of this question, we have included it for the sake of completeness.

Please note, the responses do not include information from Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), because DVSA’s HR System does not record the nationality of staff.

The department does not hold information about how many people working in it or its agencies are citizens of non-UK EU countries. The department does not hold any information about the employees of its non-departmental public bodies.

All Government Departments are bound by EU and UK requirements concerning right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Documentary evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks.

Neither the Attorney General’s Office, the Government Legal Department, Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, the Crown Prosecution Service or the Serious Fraud Office record information on staff who are from non-UK EU countries.

The MoJ does not collect data on the citizenship of MoJ employees. There is no requirement to record the nationality of staff employed by the department.

While staff are not required to declare, self-declared national identity (British, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh or Other) is recorded as part of the diversity questionnaire. All staff are encouraged to complete on our HR management system.

All Government Departments are bound by EU and UK requirements concerning right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Documentary evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks. The recruitment processes of Civil Service organisations are subject to audit by the Civil Service Commissioner. Management of such information is delegated to departments. There is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

a) Documentary evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Department as part of our wider pre-employment checks to ensure that individuals meet Civil Service Nationality Rules. This information is not retained beyond the point at which it has served its purpose. The Department’s staff are not required to record whether they are citizens of non-UK EU countries.

(b) The Department does not have any agencies on which to report.

(c) DWP has four non departmental public bodies. Documentary evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment and this information is not retained beyond the point at which it has served its purpose. Individuals are not required to record whether they are citizens of non-UK EU countries.

The Department and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence do not hold this information. Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

The Health Research Authority, Human Tissue Authority and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority have nationality data available. However, due to low numbers we are able to provide this information due to the risk that individuals may be identified.

The Department’s remaining agencies and non-departmental bodies hold nationality data and this has been included in the following table. Data is accurate as of 30 September. Contextual information to this data should be noted as it has a significant impact on the validity of the data held.

The Alien's Employment Act 1955 makes it a requirement that all FCO UK-based staff must be British nationals or dual nationals where one of those nationalities is British. We do not centrally hold details of the nationality of our UK-based staff who are dual nationals. To provide that information would require us to examine the individual record of each officer.

Local staff are recruited directly by our overseas missions. Staff are therefore governed by local labour laws, not UK legisation, and are employed by the Mission in which they work. Local staff must have the right to work and reside in the country of the vacancy. We do not centrally hold details of the nationality of our staff employed locally overseas.

The FCO does not hold details of the nationality of staff working for its agencies and its non-departmental public bodies.

At 1st October 2018 the number of staff declaring their national identity as that of a non-UK EU country was 32.

All Government Departments are bound by EU and UK requirements concerning right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Documentary evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks.

However DCMS does not hold this information centrally and staff declare their national identity voluntarily. Therefore this figure will not be a true representation of the workforce as a whole.

We do not hold the information requested centrally for b) and C) and to obtain it would incur a disproportionate cost.

As at 30 September DFID has 115 Home Civil Servants (HCS), and no agency or non-departmental public bodies, that have declared their nationality as non-UK EU.

All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

All government departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Appointment Rules.

There is no requirement for departments to retain information on the citizenship of employees and therefore this information is not held for the department, its agencies or its non-departmental public bodies.

At 30^th September 2018, (a) 140 members of staff in my Department, (b) 11 members of staff in Cabinet Office agencies, and (c) 23 members of staff in our non-departmental public bodies, were of non-UK EU nationality.

This information is not held in the format requested for Ministry of Defence civilian employees.

For information on the numbers of non-UK EU citizens in the UK Regular Armed Forces, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 June 2018 to Question 154798 to the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Mr Stone).