HC Deb 10 May 1994 vol 243 cc134-5W
Mrs. Roche

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many executive search agencies the Civil Service Commission currently uses; how many it used in(a) 1979 and (b) 1985; and what was the annual cost of the use of such agencies in each of those three years;

(2) for how many recruitment posts the Civil Service Commission employed executive search agencies in (a) 1979, (b) 1985 and (c) the last year for which figures are available.

Mr. David Davis

On 1 April 1991 the Civil Service Commission was replaced by the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners and the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency. All recruitment costs, including those of using search consultants, are now met by Departments and agencies; prior to 1991 the general position was that they met the cost of recruitment below executive officer level.

There is no information held centrally on the use of search consultants in 1979 or 1985 though it seems unlikely that much, if any, use was made of them at that period. The decision to use search consultants and the choice of consultants is one for Departments and agencies. The Civil Service Commissioners' annual report for 1992–93 records that six search consultants were used for 11 appointments approved by the commissioners at grade 5 level and above in that period. Copies of the report are available in the Libraries of the House.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what budget the Civil Service Commission had for recruitment in(a) 1979, (b) 1985 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available; and what was the proportion spent in each of those years on executive search agencies.

Mr. David Davis

On 1 April 1991 the Civil Service Commission was replaced by the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners and the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency. All recruitment costs, including those of using search consultants, are now met by Departments and agencies; prior to 1991 the general position was that they met the cost of recruitment below executive officer level.

The Civil Service Commission's budget for recruitment was £5,024,000 in 1979–80, £10,066,000 in 1985–86 and £12,288,000 in 1990–91. No figures are held centrally for the costs of using search consultants; these costs are paid direct by the Departments and agencies which use them.