§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average annual per person cost of employing an additional Immigration and Nationality Directorate caseworker is, including training and capital costs. [149545]
§ Mrs. RocheBy April 2001, staffing levels in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) are expected to have doubled compared to 1998. Since November 1999, we have recruited about 500 extra asylum decision-makers and recruitment is still continuing. Staff who take asylum decisions are normally Executive Officer grade. The annual average unit cost of employing an Executive Officer in the Integrated Casework Directorate is £21,000. This figure includes salary, Earnings Related National Insurance Contributions (ERNIC) and superannuation costs. Other overhead costs such as training, Information Technology and accommodation overheads are not currently recorded in a way which can be attributed to casework staff alone.