§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost of an employee working in his Department has been in each year since 1997. [119434]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe average cost of an employee in my Department based on mean basic pay, superannuation and employer's national insurance contributions since 1997 is given in the following table:
£ 2002–03 30,600 2001–02 29,000 2000–01 26,800 1999–2000 25,900 1998–99 25,400 1997–98 24,700 1996–97 23,900 For the period 1996–97 to 2000–01 (the period for which comparisons are available), this shows a 12 per cent. increase in average cost for the Department. This compares to a 21 per cent. increase in average salary for the labour market as a whole over the period and a 19 per cent. increase in average salary for teachers in London over the same period.