The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated February 2009:"The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning whether staff employed in (a) non-ministerial departments and (b) non-departmental public bodies are deemed to be part of (i) the Civil Service, (ii) central government and (iii) the public sector, for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts. (258599). I am replying in her absence.""The Office for National Statistics collects employment statistics for the public sector, as part of the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES).""Staff employed in non-ministerial departments are deemed to be part of the Civil Service, central government and public sector for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts.""Most non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are classified to the central government sector and are included within estimates of total public sector employee headcounts. However, some NDPBs are also public corporations—the staff employed by these NDPBs are not deemed to be part of central government for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts, but are included within total estimates of public sector employment and some within the Civil Service employee headcount totals (depending on the employment status of their employees). Most executive NDPBs are non-Crown, as such any staff they employ are not civil servants (although some will have civil servants on loan or secondment). There are 3 exceptions—ACAS, the Health and Safety Executive and the new Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission. These 3 bodies are Crown NDPBs and their employees are civil servants and are counted as being in the Civil Service, central government and total public sector for the purpose of ONS sector employee headcounts."