§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected expenditure is on redundancies arising from the restructuring and change programme. [153676]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonInitial expenditure on voluntary redundancies is £9.1 million. The amount of further expenditure will depend on a number of factors, including the level of transfers to partner organisations, the amount of natural wastage and the number of staff the Department is able to re-deploy.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated total cost is of the Department of Health reorganisation and change process; and whether this figure includes monies to address(a) planning, (b) evaluation, (c) retraining and (d) relocation. [153677]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonTotal costs in the implementation period October 2003 to October 2004 are estimated at £13.7 million. This includes external consultants support in planning the implementation and evaluation as well as support for staff. This figure also incorporates initial expenditure on voluntary redundancies of £9.1 million. Relocation costs cannot be quantified until appointments have been made.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money will be spent on(a) external consultants and (b) the process of transferring service provision to other Government Departments, arm's length bodies and local health authorities as part of the Department's change programme. [153678]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonWe expect to spend £1.25 million on external consultants in the change programme implementation period from October 2003 to October 2004. Staff support in managing change, recruitment and in seeking alternative employment is estimated at £2.35 million in the same period.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected social costs are of the restructuring proposed for the Department of Health in relation to(a) redundancies, (b) relocation of staff and (c) the impact of these issues on areas of high unemployment. [153679]
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§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe impact of unnecessary redundancies will be mitigated by a vacancy freeze (in place since last summer) and active redeployment of staff to alternative posts, either within the health and social care system or within the civil service.
Funds will be available to support the relocation of staff. The Department is committed to maintaining the proportion of posts it currently has in Leeds.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Department has conducted an impact assessment as outlined in the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, prior to the significant departmental changes that may affect the Department's staff. [153681]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe Department has identified the potential impact of the change programme on the promotion of race equality, has consulted upon and put in place processes to mitigate any adverse impact and is monitoring implementation.
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many departmental staff will be transferred to departmental arm's length bodies under the Change Programme. [153697]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonProvisionally, several hundred posts are designated for transfer to other organisations, including arm's length bodies, which are themselves currently under review.