HC Deb 16 March 1995 vol 256 cc652-4W
Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage for this year and each of the past three years how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible who have been employed on temporary contracts of(a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration are re-employed in the same or similar position at a later date.

Mr. Dorrell

[holding answer 15 March 1995]The information for the Department of National Heritage and its two agencies—the Royal Parks Agency and the Historic Royal Palaces Agency—is as follows:

Year DNH RPA HRPA
51 weeks Less than 51 weeks 51 weeks Less than 51 weeks 51 weeks Less than 51 weeks
1990 Nil 19
1991 Nil 22
1992 Nil 52
1993 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 62
1994 Nil 1 Nil Nil Nil 51
1995 Nil 1 Nil Nil Nil 58

Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department have been employed on temporary contracts of(a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration for this year and each of the past three years, in each case specifying what percentage of the respective total work force these employees constitute.

Mr. Dorrell

[holding answer 15 March 1995]The Department of National Heritage was created in April 1992. It has two agencies—the Royal Parks Agency created in April 1993 and the Historic Royal Palaces Agency created in October 1989. The information requested is shown in the following table.

(a) Less than 51 weeks
Years DNH RPA HRPA Total
Number of casuals Percentage of total staff Number of casuals Percentage of total staff Number of casuals Percentage of total staff Number of casuals Percentage of total staff
9.4
1990 66 19.4 66 (340)
18
1991 66 18 66 (365)
19.4
1992 69 19.4 69 (355)
13.3
1993 1 0.3 127 33 128 (961.5)
11.9
1994 11 3.4 11 4.4 103.5 22 125.5 (1,059)
6
1995 3 0.8 13 4.6 48.5 10.3 65 (1,084.5)

b) 51 weeks Nil for all years

Explanatory note: These figures are based on staff in post returns for 1 April each year, except for 1995 where they are based on the most recent staff in post return—1 January. Figures in ( ) represent total staff in post for each year.

Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, how many people he expects to employ in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which he is responsible on temporary contracts of(a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration in the next three years, in each case specifying the number of employees who had previously been employed in a similar position on the same contract.

Mr. Dorrell

[holding answer 15 March 1995]The information for the Department of National Heritage and its two agencies—the Royal Parks Agency and the Historic Royal Palaces Agency—is as follows.

The Department of National Heritage does not anticipate recruiting any staff on temporary contracts over the next three years.

The Royal Parks Agency expects to recruit two full-time staff and one part-time member of staff on temporary contracts of less than 51 weeks duration. The Historic Royal Palaces Agency expects to employ 53 members of staff on contracts of less than 51 weeks duration during 1995, 21 in 1996 and 22 in 1997. It is not possible to say, for any of these anticipated vacancies, whether previous temporary staff will fill the posts.

Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, what positions in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible are filled by employees who are employed on temporary contracts of(a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration.

Mr. Dorrell

[holding answer 15 March 1995]The latest available information shows for DNH and its two agencies—the Royal Parks Agency and the Historic Royal Palaces Agency is as follows:

Contracts of less than 51 weeks
DNH Administrative assistant
Administrative officer
Personal secretary
Statistical officer
RPA Administrative officer
Grooms

Contracts of less than 51 weeks
HRPA Administrative assistant
Administrative officer
Warders
Shop staff

No positions in the Department of National Heritage or its two agencies are filled by employees who are employed on temporary contracts of 51 weeks.

Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) if he will publish the full terms of employment as specified to employees in his Department and all executive agencies for which he is responsible who are employed on a temporary contract of(a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration;

(2) what guidance has been issued in respect of the recruitment and appointment of non-permanent employees in (i) in his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department.

Mr. Dorrell

[holding answer 15 March 1995]The Department and its agencies—the Royal Parks Agency and the Historic Royal Palaces Agency—have their own independent personnel units which produce separate recruitment and appointment documentation. The terms of employment are set out in letters of appointment and I have placed copies of these for the Department and each of its agencies in the Library of the House.

In the recruitment and appointment of casual employees the Department and its agencies are guided by the relevant civil service central policies. These policies are contained in the personnel management section of the civil service management code which sets down the principal recruitment rules for casual staff and is consistent with the provisions of the Civil Service Order in Council Regulations. I have placed copies of the relevant extracts of these documentations as annexes to the appointment letters in the Library of the House. My Department and its agencies also operate all recruitment within current employment legislation.