HC Deb 17 June 1992 vol 209 cc552-5W
Mr. McAllion

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list all the executive agencies that have been established to date and the number of staff currently employed in each case, in full-time equivalents.

Mr. Waldegrave

The current list of established agencies including organisations that are operating on next steps lines showing the staff employed in each case is as follows:

Agency Staff1
Accounts Services Agency 90
ADAS Agency 2,500
Building Research Establishment 700
Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments) 230
Central Office of Information2 670
Central Science Laboratory 370
Central Statistical Office 1,090
Central Veterinary Laboratory 590
Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment3 600
Civil Service College 230
Companies House2 1,070
Compensation Agency4 150
Defence Research Agency 12,150
Directorate General of Defence Accounts3 2,130
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 4,580
Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency4 250
Driving Standards Agency 2,080
Duke of York's Royal Military School 100
DVOIT 590
Employment Service 38,400
Fire Service College2 160
Forensic Science Service 600
Historic Royal Palaces 330
Historic Scotland 630
HMSO2 3,250
Hydrographic Office3 860
Insolvency Service 1,470
Intervention Board 980
Laboratory of the Government Chemist 340
Land Registry 9,800
Agency Staff1
Medicines Control Agency 300
Meteorological Office 2,390
Military Survey3 1,300
National Engineering Laboratory 390
National Physical Laboratory 830
National Weights and Measures Laboratory 50
Natural Resources Institute 440
Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation3 1,510
NHS Estates 120
Occupational Health Service 100
Ordnance Survey 2,380
Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland4 210
Patent Office2 1,080
Planning Inspectorate 630
Public Record Office 440
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre 60
Queen Victoria School 60
Radiocommunications Agency 520
RAF Maintenance3 13,300
Rate Collection Agency4 270
Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency 240
Registers of Scotland 1,280
Royal Mint2 1,020
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency 140
Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency 210
Service Children's Schools (North West Europe)3 2,300
Social Security Agency4 5,350
Social Security Benefits Agency 63,100
Social Security Contributions Agency 8,000
Social Security Information Technology Services Agency 4,000
Social Security Resettlement Agency 520
Teachers' Pensions Agency 300
The Buying Agency2 110
Training & Employment Agency4 1,670
Transport Research Laboratory 580
United Kingdom Passport Agency 1,250
Valuation Office 5,200
Vehicle Certification Agency 80
Vehicle Inspectorate2 1,820
Veterinary Medicines Directorate 80
Warren Spring Laboratory 310
Wilton Park Conference Centre 30
72 in number 210,960
Customs and Excise5 (30 Executive Units) 26,800
Inland Revenue5 (34 Executive Offices) 62,100
TOTAL:6 299,860
TOTAL CIVIL SERVANTS:7 290,490
1 October 1991 figures for Civil Servants and Armed Forces Personnel. Casuals are excluded. Part time staff are counted as half units.
2 Trading fund.
3 Defence Support Agency.
4 Northern Ireland Civil Service.
5 Departments operating fully on 'Next Steps' lines. Staffing figure for Inland Revenue excludes the Valuation Office which is a free standing agency.
6 Includes 8,070 Armed Forces personnel in Ministry of Defence Agencies, and 1,300 locally engaged staff in Service Children's Schools (North West Europe).
7 Includes 7,900 Civil Servants in agencies of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

Mr. McAllion

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list all units of central Government that are currently under consideration for executive agency status, their parent Department, and the number of staff employed in each case, in full-time equivalents.

Mr. Waldegrave

The current list of activities announced by Departments as under consideration for executive agency status, together with their parent Departments and staff employed is as follows:

Candidate name Parent Department Staff1
Army Logistics2 Defence 12,700
Chessington Computer Centre Treasury 440
Child Support Agency3 4 Northern Ireland See note
Common Services Division2 Defence 1,700
Defence Animal Centre2 Defence 150
Defence Operational Analysis Centre2 Defence 180
Defence Postal Courier Service2 Defence 600
Defence Analytical Services Agency2 Defence 150
Directorate Information Technology Bureau Services2 Defence 120
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency3 Northern Ireland 250
Equipment Test and Evaluation2 Defence 2,220
Fuel Suppliers Branch Environment 20
Her Majesty's Prison Service Home Office 34,900
Human Factors Research2 Defence 390
Meat Hygiene Service5 Agriculture See note
Ministry of Defence Police2 Defence 4,550
Naval Training2 Defence 5,040
National Health Service Superannuation Branch Health 630
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys6 See note 2,150
Pesticide Safety Directorate Agriculture 150
Property Division Treasury Solicitor 120
Property Holdings Portfolio Management Environment 460
Royal Air Force Training2 Defence 11,200
Royal Parks National Heritage 580
Scottish Office Superannuation Scottish Office 160
Scottish Prison Service Scottish Office 4,100
Social Security Child Support Agency7 Social Security See note
Valuation and Lands Office3 Northern Ireland 350
Youth Treatment Service Health 220
29 in number
TOTAL8 83,530
TOTAL CIVIL SERVANTS9 67,200
1 October 1991 figures for civil servants and armed forces personnel. Casuals are excluded. Part-time staff are counted as half units.
2 May be launched as a Defence Support Agency.
3 Northern Ireland Civil Service.
4 Estimated to require 550 staff by April 1993. Of these 120 will come from the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency.
5 Estimated to require 1,800 staff, drawn from a variety of sources.
6 Independent Government Department. Responsible Minister: Secretary of State for Health.
7 From early 1993 the agency is estimated to require 4,500 staff, 1,500 of which will come from the Social Security Benefits Agency.
8 Includes 16,330 armed forces personnel in Ministry of Defence candidates.
9 Includes 600 civil servants in candidates of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

Many other areas are under internal consideration for executive agency status.

Mr. McAllion

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what central guidance has been provided to departments and agencies on the subject of market testing and contracting out; and if he will place a copy of the guidance on the Library.

Mr. Waldegrave

In addition to the White Paper "Competing for Quality: Buying Better Public Services" Cm 1730, central guidance is contained in the public competition and purchasing unit's note No. 34. I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.

Name Department first entered Grade on entry Current Department
Sir Robin Butler Her Majesty's Treasury Assistant Principal Cabinet Office
Sir Terry Burns Her Majesty's Treasury Chief Economic Adviser Her Majesty's Treasury
Sir Derek Andrews Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Assistant Principal Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Sir Anthony Battishill Inland Revenue Assistant Principal Inland Revenue
Mr. Patrick Brown Department of the Environment Principal Department of Transport
Sir John Caines Ministry of Supply Assistant Principal Department for Education
Mr. John Chilcot Home Office Assistant Principal Northern Ireland Office
Sir Geoffrey Chipperfield Ministry of Housing and Local Government Assistant Principal Property Services Agency
Sir Christopher France Her Majesty's Treasury Assistant Principal Ministry of Defence
Mrs. Barbara Mills Serious Fraud Office Grade 2 Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Peter Graham Her Majesty's Treasury Assistant Parliamentary Counsel Parliamentary Counsel Office
Sir Peter Gregson Board of Trade Assistant Principal Department of Trade and Industry
Mr. Graham Hart Ministry of Health and Social Security Assistant Principal Department of Health
Sir Russell Hillhouse Scottish Education Department Assistant Principal The Scottish Office
Sir Geoffrey Holland Ministry of Labour Assistant Principal Department of Employment
Mr. Thomas Legg Lord Chancellor's Department Legal Assistant Lord Chancellor's Department
Sir Richard Lloyd-Jones Admiralty Assistant Principal Welsh Office
Sir Malcolm McIntosh Ministry of Defence Grade 1 Ministry of Defence
Sir James Nursaw Home Office Legal Assistant Treasury Solicitor's Department
Sir Michael Partridge Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance Assistant Principal Department of Social Security
Sir Brian Unwin Commonwealth Relations Office Assistant Principal Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
Sir Clive Whitmore War Office Assistant Principal Home Office
Mr. Richard Wilson Board of Trade Assistant Principal Department of the Environment