FOI release

Information relating to expenditure on equality, diversity and inclusion

Published 29 September 2022

7th Floor, The Cabot
25 Cabot Square
London E14 4QZ
T: +44 (0) 207 215 6537
E: [email protected]
www.gov.uk/gca

Sent by email on 26 September 2022

Dear

Freedom of Information Act: Request for information on Groceries Code Adjudicator activities

Thank you for your email dated 12 September 2022 regarding expenditure on equality, diversity and inclusion. In your email you asked for the following information in Excel CSV format:

a) The number of roles in your association (expressed in numbers of FTE), that are mainly or exclusively focussed on issues of equality, diversity, or inclusivity. For example, this could include (amongst other guises) “EDI officers” or “diversity and inclusion project managers” but would not include general HR managers.

b) Either a) the pay band of each of these roles, or b) the combined total salaries for these roles. Whichever measure is more in accordance with your data preferences.

c) In the past 12 months the number of staff days across your organisation which have been committed to attending equality training programmes, whether internally run or with external consultants. (staff days = duration of the training programme multiplied by the number of staff in attendance for the course).

d) The contractual cost of any consultants hired, in the past twelve months, to provide any external training or advice on issues of diversity, equality, or inclusivity.

e) In the past twelve months, the number of staff days committed to attending conferences relating mainly or exclusively to matters of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. (duration of conference multiplied by the number of staff in attendance).

f) The costs of attending these conferences.

g) Membership costs the organisation pays for participation in equality charters such as the Stonewall Equality Champions, or Diversity and Inclusion Workplace champions.

Duty to confirm or deny whether the GCA holds the information

Under section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, anyone making a request for information to the GCA, as a public authority, is entitled to be informed in writing whether it holds that information, and if so, to be supplied with it.

The GCA is a Corporation Sole sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The Adjudicator is supported by a small team of staff, all of whom are seconded from public bodies. I can confirm the answers to your questions are as follows (numbered to match the numbering the request above):

a) 0

b) N/A

c) 0

d) £Nil

e) 0

f) N/A

g) £Nil

As requested, please find enclosed the above answers repeated in an Excel CSV format.

Appeals Procedure

If you wish to complain about the way in which your request for information has been handled, you may seek an internal review by writing, setting out the reasons you feel your request has not been dealt with effectively, to:

The FOI Review Co-ordinator
Groceries Code Adjudicator
7th Floor
25 Cabot Square
London E14 4QZ

Alternatively you can email: [email protected]

We will aim to deal with your Internal Review request within 20 working days of receipt or, if that is not possible, advise you of a date when we expect to complete the review. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the Internal Review you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioners Office. The contact address is:

Information Commissioners Office
FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely,