§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many unfilled vacancies for permanent staff his Department has; what percentage of staff positions in his Department are vacant; what the monthly cost would be to his Department of employing civil servants in these positions; how many and what percentage of staff his Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; how much his Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in each of the last 12 months; and how much he expects to pay employment agencies to supply temporary staff in each of the next 12 months. [131428]
§ Dr. Reid[holding answer 25 July 2000]The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999 and it is still building up to its agreed staffing level of between 110–130 staff. The Department currently has 25 vacancies for permanent staff. This represents 22.3 per cent. of current staffing plans. The monthly cost of filling the posts (at average cost for the grade) would be £45,365.
The Department employs seven staff on a temporary basis from employment agencies; this represents 6.3 per cent. of the current staff. Since July 1999, my Department has paid £69,733 to employment agencies for temporary staff. The amount to be paid next year will depend on progress made in filling vacancies.