§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many full-time staff worked in the Office of the Rail Regulator at the time that the present Regulator was appointed; how many new appointments have been made since then; how many staff have left since then; how many vacancies exist; how many staff are due to leave within the next six months; and how many staff the Regulator employs. [114917]
§ Mr. Hill[holding answer 16 March 2000]: At the time the present Regulator was appointed—on 5 July 1999—there were 140 full-time staff in the Office of the Rail Regulator, including the staff of the Central and regional Rail Users' Consultative Committees. Since his appointment, there have been 53 appointments—16 of which were new posts. Thirty-three staff have left since the current Regulator was appointed. There are 27 existing vacancies and there are five staff due to leave within the next six months. The Regulator currently employs 160 staff.