To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many staff by grade are employed as professional statisticians in his Department; how many of these staff have been accepted as fast stream by the Civil Service Selection Board; and how many have been granted chartered statistician status by the Royal Statistical Society; [81201](2) how many staff who have worked as professional statisticians in his Department and its predecessors have left on early retirement in each of the past 10 years. [81181]

Statistical work is undertaken by a range of specialisms such as Research Officers, Social Survey Officers and Economists. Within this Department there are 6 Senior Civil Servants, 1 Grade 6 Statistician, 37 Grade 7 Statisticians, 13 Assistant Statisticians employed as "professional" Statisticians, all of whom have been recruited via CSSB. In addition our Department employs 4 Statistical Officers.The number of "professional statisticians" who have left on early retirement in the last ten years is 6.