§ John McDonnellTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on future staffing levels for the Department; and what plans the Department has for(a) staff cuts, (b) voluntary retirements and (c) voluntary redundancies. [158294]
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§ Mr. McNultyThe Department for Transport was formed in May 2002. The functions the Department needs to undertake has been clarified and a Corporate Business Plan has been drafted to provide direction and enable the Department to meet its PSA targets.
The staffing level required to deliver the Department's priorities is being considered along with piloting new ways of working flexibly. The intention is to reduce the number of posts overall and create a smaller more strategic centre. There are no concrete plans at the moment and the Department is unable to predict the number of staff that may be surplus Wherever possible and practicable the exit of staff from the Department will be on a voluntary basis using redundancy and retirements to facilitate the process. The Department will, however, ensure that staff with the appropriate skills to take forward its agenda, remain within the Department.