§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Warship Support Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agency are; and how these figures compare to 2002. [119298]
§ Mr. CaplinAs at May 2003, the latest date for which detailed figures are readily available, there were 7,611 people working for the Warship Support Agency, of whom 2,259 were employed in Scotland. This compares with 10.307 and 4,263 respectively in May 2002. The reduction in the number of staff employed in the Agency since early 2002 is due largely to the transfer, in late 2002 of some 3,000 civilian posts to the Dockyard owners at Devonport, Portsmouth and Clyde under the Warship Support Modernisation Initiative (WSMI).
In the answer provided by my predecessor (Dr. Moonie) to the hon. Member on 27 February 2002, Official Report, column 1288W, the Agency personnel cost for financial year 2001–02 was an estimate. The actual cost was £318 million, while the actual cost for financial year 2002–03 was £286 million.