APPENDIX 4
ACCOUNTANTS WORKING IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS
AND AGENCIES (PAC 97-98/260)
COPY OF
A LETTER
AND SUPPLEMENTARY
MEMORANDUM FROM
THE TREASURY
OFFICER OF
ACCOUNTS
QUESTION 217
At the Committee hearing on the Intervention
Board Accounts held on 1 April, Mr Alan Williams asked for a note
from the Treasury on the number of accountants working in government
departments and agencies, and on turnover.
2. I attach a table which shows the number of
accountants in departments and agencies. For the purposes of the
table, we have defined accountants as people who are either full
members of one of the CCAB bodies, or who have passed their final
exams for one of those bodies. The CCAB (Consultative Committee
of Accountancy Bodies) comprises the six main accountancy bodies:
the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the
Association of Chartered Certified Accounts, the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Scotland, the Chartered Institute of
Management Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance
Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.
We have not included people who are part-qualified or who are
studying for exams: nor have we included members of the Association
of Accounting Technicians. We have also excluded accountants on
loan to departments and agencies from outside bodies such as accountancy
firms and the NAQ.
3. Where there are five or more accountants
in an agency, the agency is shown separately in the table; where
there are four or less, the accountants are grouped in with the
parent department figure. We have also grouped together some small
departments at the end of the table.
4. I should add that not all of these accountants
work in financial management. Many work as investigative or forensic
accounts, and others work in mainstream posts. The Committee may
also be interested to know that there are 92 accountants in the
armed services.
5. I am afraid that we do not have complete
figures on turnover of accountants for every department. However,
from the information which we have collected, we estimate that
entry of accountants over the past year has been 13 per cent and
leavers have been 5 per cent. The entrants comprise accountants
who have been recruited direct to a department or agency from
outside the civil service plus internal staff who have become
qualified; leavers are accountants who have resigned or retired.
Treasury Officer of Accounts
HM Treasury
20 April 1998
NUMBER OF ACCOUNTANTS IN DEPARTMENTS
AND AGENCIES, MARCH 1998
| Department/Agency
| | Number of
accountants
|
| Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
| | 37 |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport |
| 17 |
| Cabinet Office | |
|
| Centre and small agencies | 12
| |
| Civil Service College | 9 |
|
| Total | | 21
|
| | |
| Charity Commission | | 10
|
| Crown Prosecution Service |
| 6 |
| Customs and Excise | | 54
|
| Ministry of Defence | |
|
| Centre and small agencies | 309
| |
| Specialist Procurement Services Agency |
82 | |
| Defence Evaluation and Research Agency |
35 | |
| Total | | 426
|
| | |
| Department for Education and Employment |
| |
| Centre | 60 |
|
| Employment Service | 22 |
|
| Total | | 82
|
| | |
| Exports Credit Guarantee Department |
| 6 |
| Department for Environment Transport and the Regions
| | |
| Centre and small agencies | 12
| |
| DVLA | 8 |
|
| Highways Agency | 8 |
|
| Health and Safety Executive | 7
| |
| Total | | 35
|
| | |
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office |
| 6 |
| Department for International Development |
| 5 |
| Department of Health | |
|
| Main department | 21 |
|
| NHS Executive including regional offices |
161 | |
| Total | | 182
|
| | |
| Home Office | |
|
| Centre and small agencies | 31
| |
| Prison Service | 84 |
|
| Total | | 115
|
| | |
| Inland Revenue | | 79
|
| Intervention Board | | 5
|
| Land Registry | | 7
|
| Lord Chancellor's Department |
| 12 |
| Department for National Savings |
| 17 |
| Northern Ireland Office (this does not include the Northern Ireland departments)
| | 2 |
| Ordnance Survey | | 8
|
| Royal Mint | | 7
|
| Scottish Office | |
|
| Centre and small agencies | 39
| |
| Scottish Prison Service | 7
| |
| Total | | 46
|
| | |
| Serious Fraud Office | |
15 |
| Department of Social Security |
| |
| Centre and small agencies | 7
| |
| Benefits Agency | 43 |
|
| Child Support Agency | 10 |
|
| Contributions Agency | 14 |
|
| IT Services Agency | 14 |
|
| Total | | 88
|
| | |
| Department of Trade and Industry |
| |
| Centre and small agencies | 73
| |
| Insolvency Service | 118 |
|
| Total | | 191
|
| | |
| HM Treasury | | 25
|
| Welsh Office | | 18
|
| Other | | 130
|
| Total | | 1,552
|
1 This figure is an estimate based on returns from a number of small departments.
| | |
HM Treasury
20 April 1998
| 
