HC Deb 19 September 2003 vol 410 cc997-9W
Annabelle Ewing

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the Cabinet Office's policy is on employing secondees from the private sector; how many secondees from the (a) private and (b) public sector the Cabinet Office were employed in each year since 1997; from which companies and organisations they were seconded; at what level they were employed; and if he will make a statement. [127066]

Mr. Alexander

The Government are committed to developing a modern, flexible, outward-focused civil service that works in partnership with all sectors of society. Interchange is a key tool in meeting that commitment. Secondments are encouraged as part of the interchange programme, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the civil service and other organisations. Before an interchange can occur all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises. In all cases agreement is reached with the parent organisation on the salary reimbursed by the Cabinet Office to ensure it falls in the civil service pay range appropriate to the post.

There are no records available prior to April 1999. The following table gives the number of secondees within the Cabinet Office by Pay Band within each year from 1999–2000. The figures for secondees from the private and public sectors are aggregated. Separate figures are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Level Number of secondees in post
1999–2000 SCS 5
Band A1 22
Band B22 6
Band B13 1
Total 34
2000–2001 SCS 6
Band A 33
Band B2 12
Band B1 1
Total 52
2001–2002 SCS 9
Band A 52
Band B2 19
Total 80
2002–2003 SCS 11
Band A 44
Band B2 10
Total 65
2003–2004 (to date) SCS 15
Band A 20
Band B2 8
Total 43
1 Combined grades 6 and 7.
2 Combined grades Senior Executive Officer (SEO) and Higher Executive Officer (HEO). 3 Equivalent to Executive Officer.

The following is a list of the companies and organisations from which the above were seconded:

  • Accenture
  • Addenbrooke's NHS Trust
  • Adult Learning Inspectorate
  • Age Concern
  • Arthur Andersen
  • Audit Commission
  • Australian Civil Service
  • Barking and Dagenham, London Borough
  • Bass Leisure Retail
  • Bates, Wells and Braithewaite
  • Boston Consulting Group
  • British Telecom
  • BSkyB
  • BUPA
  • Camden, London Borough
  • Canadian Government
  • Commission for Racial Equality
  • Deloitte and Touche
  • Energis
  • Energy Saving Trust
  • Environment Agency
  • Environmental Resource Management Ltd.
  • European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • Financial Times
  • Ford Motor Company
  • French Civil Service
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Greater London Authority
  • Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospital Trust
  • Hay Management Consultants
  • Hertfordshire Constabulary
  • Hewlett Packard
  • House of Commons
  • IBM UK Ltd.
  • ICI
  • Imperial College
  • Improvement and Development Agency
  • Institute for Public Policy Research
  • Institute of Education
  • Kids' Club Network
  • King's Fund
  • KPMG
  • Local Government Association
  • Logica
  • London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Marks and Spencer
  • Metropolitan Police
  • Microsoft Ltd.
  • National Children's Bureau
  • National Consumer Council
  • National Council for Voluntary Organisations
  • National Criminal Intelligence Service
  • New Opportunities Fund New Policy Institute
  • NHS Information Authority
  • NHS Purchase and Supply Agency
  • North Hertfordshire District Council
  • Office of Public Management
  • Ofsted
  • Oracle Corporation UK Ltd.
  • Oxera Consulting Ltd.
  • Poole Hospital NHS Trust
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers
  • Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
  • Royal Bank of Scotland
  • Sandwell Metropolitan Council
  • Singapore Government
  • Skillmind Consultancy
  • Social Market Foundation
  • South Bank University
  • Stockport Corporation
  • Sun Microsystems
  • Surrey County Council
  • Tarmac
  • Three
  • Unilever
  • University of Bristol
  • University of Edinburgh
  • University of Portsmouth
  • Warwick Business School
  • Welsh Development Agency
  • Westminster University
  • Worksystems Inc.