HC Deb 15 May 2003 vol 405 c338W
Mr. Norman

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 5 March 2003,Official Report, columns 1030–31W, on DVLA, what the total pay costs incurred by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency were in each year since 1997. [113381]

Mr. Jamieson

The information requested is as follows:

£000
Year Total pay costs
1997 59,862
1998 61,068
1999 68,507
2000 75,845
2001 83,551
2002 95,634

Extra staff were required by the Agency over this period for major new initiatives, projects to implement policy changes and safeguard delivery of the core business and increased workload. The exceptional rise in pay costs for 2002, i.e. to a greater proportion than the staff employed, was due to the fundamental restructuring of the Agency's pay system as the first and most significant impact of a five year pay deal agreed with the Unions. The restructuring is designed to address a number of issues, including: overcoming Equal Pay vulnerabilities aligning with Modernising Government agenda on Civil Service pay recruitment and retention of good quality staff and support for the Agency in taking forward a substantial programme of change.

Mr. Norman

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 3 February 2003,Official Report, column 46W to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster), on railway staff, what the total pay costs incurred by the Office of the Rail Regulator were in each year since 1997. [113382]

Mr. Jamieson

The total pay costs incurred by the Office of the Rail Regulator since 1997 are as follows:

Year £000
1997–98 4,099
1998–99 4,558
1999–2000 5,285
2000–01 6,204
2001–02 4,982
2002–03 5,440