HC Deb 22 July 2004 vol 424 cc489-90W
Mr. Tynan

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what reduction in(a) the Senior Civil Service and (b) Senior Civil Service recruitment is planned as part of concentrating civil service resources in the frontline. [185663]

Mr. Alexander

Departments are currently in the process of drawing up detailed plans to implement the Spending Review 2004. It is for individual Departments to determine, as part of their plans, the staffing requirements at senior level that match their business priorities.

Mr. Tynan

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Civil Service Fast Streamers(a) are in post and (b) will be recruited this year. [185664]

Mr. Alexander

The Cabinet Office collects figures from Departments on numbers of Fast Streamers 'In post' as at 1 April each year. The latest figures for which information is available (1 April 2003) showed 1,164 Fast Streamers recorded as being 'In Post' in the Fast Stream entry grade.

The recruitment competitions for Fast Streamers for the current year are yet to finish, to date, 418 candidates have been recommended for appointment and it is anticipated that the final number will be around 450.

Mr. Tynan

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what reduction in(a) Fast Stream posts and (b) Fast Stream recruitment is planned as a part of concentrating civil service resource; in the frontline. [185665]

Mr. Alexander

Individual Government Departments are responsible for deciding the number of Fast Stream posts they require. and my Department recruits centrally to meet their current and anticipated business needs. The civil service will continue to need the new skills and attributes that high calibre graduates can bring to it, and we are still working to ensure that we recruit entrants to meet the new challenges.