§ Mrs. Helen JacksonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff from(a) the main Department and (b) each of its agencies have expressed an interest in his Department's current voluntary early severance and redundancy scheme. [17467]
Mr. John M. Taylor[holding answer 27 February 1996]Several voluntary early retirement and severance schemes are currently in operation in that part of the Department that falls under gross running cost control. The total number of initial expressions of interest by staff in these schemes is approximately 1,600 but a significant proportion of these are likely to withdraw as the scheme progresses.
I have asked the chief executives of the agencies within net running cost control—Companies House, the Patent Office and Radiocommunications Agency—to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from David Durham to Mrs. Helen Jackson, dated 2 March 1996:
The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to explain the levels of interest in the current early retirement/severance schemes of Companies House.
We received 16 expressions of interest in the current schemes which are shortly to be concluded.
18WLetter from J. C. Octon to Mrs. Helen Jackson, dated 2 March 1996:
In the absence of the Comptroller General on official business I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Patent Office to your Parliamentary Question about voluntary early retirement and redundancy. The Patent Office is not taking part in the current Departmental schemes but has its own programmes for early retirement and voluntary severance. These have attracted 115 expressions of interest; 15 staff were released in 1995 and a further 81 will be leaving in the first 6 months of 1996. There have been no compulsory redundancies.
Letter from Jim Norton to Mrs. Helen Jackson, dated 2 March 1996:
The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply on behalf of the Radiocommunications Agency to your Written Parliamentary Question about the DTI's current voluntary early severance and redundancy scheme.
The Agency has its own voluntary early retirement schemes. These concern (i) certain Senior and Higher Telecommunications Technical Officers and all seven staff who expressed interest will be retiring at the end of next month, and (ii) certain Personal Secretaries, none of whom expressed interest in early retirement.