§ John ThursoTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff(a) were employed in 2002 and (b) are employed in each key area of the railway industry; what the total requirement for staff in each key area is; what assessment he has made of staff shortage numbers in each key area; and how many individuals are (i) in training and (ii) trained for each key area. [139724]
1458W
§ Mr. McNultyFigures are not kept in the form requested. The latest information on rail industry staff numbers comes from a survey carried out by the Rail Industry Training Council between November 2002 and April 2003. It showed that, in 2002, approximately 177,000 people were employed in rail related work covering 110 different occupations. There were also 702 vacancies classified as "hard to fill". The number of trainees working toward a national qualification was estimated at 11,685.
The Centre for Rail Skills was launched on 27 October 2003 to help the rail industry equip itself, in a cost effective way, with the right number of people with the right skills in place at the right time.
§ John ThursoTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed in his and predecessor departments on functions relating to transport(a) full-time and (b) part-time, broken down by (i) units and (ii) divisions in each year since 1997. [139725]
§ Mr. McNultyThe information is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member, placing a copy my letter in the Libraries of the House.
§ John ThursoTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by agencies with functions relating to transport(a) full-time and (b) part-time, broken down by (i) units and (ii) divisions in each year since 1997. [139726]
§ Mr. McNultyDetails of staff employed are published in each agency's annual report, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.