Departmental Staff/Teacher Numbers

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the percentage change in (a) his Department’s staff and (b) the number of teachers was in each year since 1997. (84258)

The information is set out in the following tables:

*(a) Departmental staff*
Year¹	FTE staff numbers	Percentage change
1997	4,480	—
1998	4,500	+0.4
1999	4,560	+1.3
2000	4,970	+9
2001	5,430	+9.3
2002	4,820	-11.2
2003	5,020	+4.1
2004	5,130	+2.2
2005	4,550	-11.3
2006²	4,166	-8.4
¹ The numbers recorded are from April in each year. ² At 1 July 2006

The information for 1997 to 2001 relates to the former Department for Education and Employment.

*(b) Teachers*
Year¹	FTE teacher numbers (thousand)	Percentage change
1997	399.2	—
1998	397.7	-0.4
1999	401.2	+0.9
2000	404.6	+0.9
2001	410.2	+1.4
2002	419.6	+2.3
2003	423.6	+0.9
2004	427.7	+1.0
2005	431.9	+1.0
2006 (provisional)	435.4	+0.8
¹ The numbers recorded are from January in each year.

Volume 449: debated on Wednesday 19 July 2006