HC Deb 18 July 2003 vol 409 cc673-5W
Mr. Yeo

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff the Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which the Department is responsible had in each year since 1997; and what the cost of those staff was in each of those years. [122299]

Yvette Cooper

Data on staffing levels in the civil service are collected from Departments and agencies twice-yearly, in April and October. Headline figures are published under National Statistics guidelines via a press notice. Those for October 2002 were published on 27 February 2003.

Phil Hope

The average council tax payable for 2003–04 and for each Government Office Region, broken down by council tax band, is shown in the following table:

A copy of the press notice, accompanying media brief and supporting tables is available on the world wide web at www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics. Copies of these documents are also available in the Libraries of the House.

More detailed in formation on the civil service is published annually in "Civil Service Statistics", copies of which are laid in the Libraries of the House. The last edition, based on April 2001 data, was published in June 2002. The next edition, based on April 2002 data, is due to be published at the end of July 2003.

Cabinet Office publishes information on non-departmental public bodies in its annual publication "Public Bodies". The information includes details of the number of staff employed by each NDPB at 31 March each year. "Public Bodies 2002" was published in January 2003. Copies of "Public Bodies" published each year since 1997 are available in the Libraries of the House.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002. Information on staff costs was published in the Office's annual report 2003, and in the annual report and accounts for each agency and executive non-departmental public body since 1997. Copies of these reports are available in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Jenkins

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has for redeployment of members of his Department out of London and the south-east. [125393]

Yvette Cooper

The scope for relocating Government activity is being considered by Sir Michael Lyons. His independent review was announced in the Chancellor's Budget statement on 9 April.

Details of the review, including the consultation launched on 19 June, can be found on the HM Treasury website at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk. Sir Michael will report his findings on the scope for relocating Departments and other public sector bodies before the end of the year.