HC Deb 18 February 1998 vol 306 cc687-8W
Mr. Swinney

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the number of his Department's employees by UK region, indicating the wage bill(a) in total and (b) by region in the last year for which figures are available and separately identifying the costs of London allowances and weightings. [30093]

Mrs. Liddell

The Treasury has no offices outside central London. During 1996–97, the average number of staff (excluding Ministers and casual staff) in post in the Treasury was 904. The salary bill for these staff for 1996–97, amounted to around £30 million including overhead costs such as superannuation and employers National Insurance contributions. London Weighting allowances for all Treasury staff below the Senior Civil Service were consolidated into basic pay from April 1996. Separate London Weighting and London Allowances are retained by some Treasury members of the Senior Civil Service. For 1996–1997, the total cost of these allowances was around £157,000.