Net Zero Staff and Consultant Spending

• Date released: 21 May 2026
• Request number: FOI202604003
• Release of information under: FOIA

Information requested

From the last three financial years’ budgeted figures (2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25), please provide the following recorded information:

1. Climate-related posts

The number of posts (if any), including headcount and full-time equivalent (FTE) where recorded, employed with job titles that include any of the following terms:

• • Climate
  • Net Zero
  • Sustainability
  • Carbon
  • Emissions
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Climate Change
  • Climate Action
  • Climate Policy
  • Climate Programme
  • Climate Project
  • Climate Data
  • Climate Reporting
  • Climate Adaptation
  • Climate Resilience
  • Energy and Climate
  • Sustainable Procurement
  • Green Finance
  • Green

2. Cost of those posts

The total employment cost for the posts (if any) identified in question 1, including salary and employer on-costs (for example, pension and National Insurance), as recorded.

3. External consultants

The total amount paid during the same financial years to external consultants, companies or contractors, where the expenditure is recorded under any cost centre, project code, budget line or purchase description that includes one or more of the following terms:

• Climate
• Net Zero
• Sustainability
• Carbon
• Emissions
• Environmental Sustainability
• Climate Change
• Climate Action
• Climate Policy
• Climate Programme
• Climate Project
• Climate Data
• Climate Reporting
• Climate Adaptation
• Climate Resilience
• Energy and Climate
• Sustainable Procurement
• Green Finance
• Green

This should include, but is not limited to, expenditure coded to professional services, consultancy, advisory services or specialist support.

If you do not record expenditure in this way, please provide the closest equivalent recorded information held (for example, totals by relevant cost centre or project).

If any information requested is not held, please state this clearly. If figures are held only in aggregated form, please provide the aggregated figures. Estimates derived from recorded financial information are acceptable.

If complying with this request would exceed the cost limit under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act, please disregard point 3.

Please provide the information requested above in the following table format, where held:

• Financial year
• Job title
• Staff costs including on-costs (£)
• Headcount
• Consultant spend

Our response

We confirm that under section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we hold some of the information you have requested.

For questions 1 and 2, we do not hold this information, as there have been no posts with job titles that include any of the listed terms during the last three financial years.

For question 3 (external consultants), the cost breakdown is shown in the table below.

These costs relate to work on the provision of technical support services for the ONR Expert Panel on Natural Hazards – Lot A7 – Climate Impacts Expert. The contract is call-off in nature and used when ONR requires specific expertise.

The climate impacts expert provides technical advice and guidance on climate change and its potential implications for meteorological and coastal flooding hazards in the UK.

Find out more about the ONR Expert Panel on Natural Hazards. The panel provides detailed technical advice to ONR inspectors, supporting regulatory decisions and enabling technically credible engagement with dutyholders.

Exemptions applied

None.

Public Interest Test (PIT)

Not applicable.