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20 Jul 2004 : Column 186W—continued

Departmental Staffing

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many staff are employed in the Department, broken down by work category. [185375]

Mr. Lammy: The Department does not hold information broken down by work category. However, data on staffing levels in the civil service are collected from Departments and agencies twice-yearly, in April and October. Headline figures are published under National Statistics guidelines via a press notice. Those for October 2003 were published on 22 April 2004. A copy of the press notice, accompanying media brief and supporting tables is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/news/2004/040422 latest asp/ these documents are also placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
 
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More detailed information on the civil service is published annually in 'Civil Service Statistics', copies of which are laid in the Libraries of both Houses. The last edition, based on April 2002 data, was published in July 2003. The next edition, based on April 2003 data, is due to be published at the end of July 2004.

The Cabinet Office publishes information on non-departmental public bodies in its annual publication 'Public Bodies'. The information includes details of the number of staff employed by each NDPB at 31 March each year. 'Public Bodies 2003' was published in 16 July 2003. Copies of 'Public Bodies' published each year since 1997 are available in the Libraries of both Houses. http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/agencies- publicbodies.

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the reasons are for changes in staff numbers in (a) the Department, (b) the National Archives and (c) the Northern Ireland Court Service between 1998–99 and 2003–04. [185373]

Mr. Lammy: The reasons for changes in staff numbers between 1998–99 and 2003–04 for the following are:

(a) The Department for Constitutional Affairs

During the period we recruited an extra 700 staff to support the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA) and its work of processing asylum appeals.

We have also seen an increase in the Court Service due to an increase in workload including sitting days.

(b) The National Archives

Changes in staff numbers in the National Archives are due to the increase in service provision to the public and Government Departments.

(c) Northern Ireland Court Service

Staff numbers in the Northern Ireland Court Service have changed between 1998–99 (628 staff) and 2003–04 (757 staff) as a direct response to delivering the Government's agenda to modernise the delivery of justice. This included responding to the recommendations of the Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Review which significantly reforms criminal justice in Northern Ireland. Other influencing factors include the Court Service's modernisation programme which will enhance the delivery of frontline services.

Information Commissioner

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the costs of staff employed in the Office of the Information Commissioner were in the last year for which figures are available; and what the costs are of the new offices in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in this financial year. [185372]

Mr. Lammy: Staff costs for the year ended 31 March 2004 were:
£

	Amount
Salaries	3,804,953
Social security costs	278,965
Other pension costs	481,345
Temporary agency staff	114,241
Total	4,679,504

 
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Costs for the new offices in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in 2004–05 are budgeted to be:
£

	(a)	(b)	(c)	Total
Staff cost	65,005	65,005	65,005	195,015
Travel and subsistence	20,500	20,500	20,500	61,500
Consultancy	5,000	5,000	5,000	15,000
Library and subscriptions	1,500	1,500	1,500	4,500
Stationery	1,000	1,000	1,000	3,000
Accommodation	20,000	20,000	20,000	60,000

TREASURY

Barnett Formula

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the growth was in public expenditure between 2000–01 and 2003–04 (a) which was used as comparable spending with Scotland for the purposes of the Barnett Formula, (b) for Barnett comparable spending in Scotland and (c) in the North East for programmes which were comparable with the Barnett Formula compensation programmes in Scotland. [185594]

Mr. Boateng: Information on identifiable public spending in Scotland and the North East is published in Chapter 8 of Public Expenditure Spending Analyses (Cmd. 6201). The basis of the Barnett formula comparability factors used for the 2004 Spending Review was published in the Statement of Funding Policy in July 2004 and for the 2002 Spending Review in July 2002. The Barnett formula is used to determine increases in spending of the devolved administrations, rather than the levels of spending in English regions .

Civil Service Employment

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the net number is of civil service posts created since 1997 (a) in front-line services and (b) elsewhere (i) in each Government Department and agency and (ii) in total. [185368]

Mr. Boateng: Details of civil service statistics for each Government Department and agency can be found at the following website: http://www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics/css.htm.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost of early retirement and redundancy packages (a) in total and (b) in each Department for those civil servants whose posts are abolished pursuant to his announcement on 12 July 2004. [185370]

Mr. Boateng: All retirement and redundancy plans are developed and costed on a departmental basis—this is still being planned. The Efficiency Challenge Fund will help support departments, and Cabinet Office is providing a brokerage service to assist with the management of these workforce changes.

Education Maintenance Allowance (Benefit Entitlement)

Mr. Best: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons (a) parents of A-Level students aged 16 to
 
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19 years receiving education maintenance allowance are eligible for child benefit and child tax credits and (b) parents of children aged 16 to 19 years receiving education maintenance allowance studying for college-based vocational qualifications are not eligible for child benefit and child tax credit. [185388]

Dawn Primarolo: The parents of all students aged 16 to 19 who are undertaking courses of full-time, non-advanced education in respect of academic or vocational qualifications and who are receiving educational maintenance allowance will be eligible for child benefit and child tax credit.

However, the Government are aware of the disparity in support to parents of children in full time education and unwaged training and intend to extend entitlement to child benefit and child tax credit for these young people at the earliest opportunity.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) on 6 July 2004, Official Report, column 623W.

EU Withdrawal (Costs)

Mr. Ian Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission and publish a study into the costs of UK withdrawal from the EU, which includes the economic and social impact on each region and nation of the UK. [184369]

Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effects on the UK economy of membership of the European single market. [184526]

Ruth Kelly: The assessment of the five economic tests, published 9 June 2003, states,

"With more than half the UK's trade with the EU and increasing integration of product, labour, and capital markets, the UK's economic interest is best pursued through a deepening cooperation with other European countries as part of the Government's commitment to strong EU and successful EMU."

The Treasury estimates that 3 million jobs in the UK are linked, directly and indirectly, to the export of goods and services to the European Union.

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