§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are currently employed by the Defence Vetting Agency; and how many were at its establishment. [76636]
§ Mr. SpellarThis is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Vetting Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Michael Wilson to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 25 March 1999:
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the number of staff employed by the Defence Vetting Agency, as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Agency.The Agency employed 349 staff when it was established on 1st April 1997. The strength of the Agency at 1st February 1999 was 365. The bulk of the additional 16 staff are 3-year Fixed Term Appointees, recruited for the specific purpose of clearing a developing backlog in one particular part of the organisation. As you are aware, the Agency plans to collocate at York by early 2001, at which time the strength will reduce to about 310. The exact figure will depend to some extent on how well a number of underlying management assumptions bear up.I hope this is helpful.