To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many redundancies there were in his Department in each year since 1997; what the cost of such redundancies was in each such year; how many temporary staff were employed in each such year; and how many staff were seconded by outside organisations to the Department in each such year. (95267)

The Department for Transport was created in May 2002.

There have not been any compulsory redundancies during that period. However there have been a small number of voluntary early redundancy/severance schemes.

Temporary staff are essentially used for short-term periods, usually to cover annual leave, sickness, or while managers are seeking a permanent replacement for a post.

The number of employed in the central Department for Transport, and its agencies since 2002 is as follows:

The numbers of inward secondments since 2002 are:

The Department is committed to trying to avoid compulsory redundancies and to use recruitment controls and voluntary means to achieve any essential reductions in staff numbers.

Through inward secondments, the Department believes that it benefits from the experience of a secondee (through specialist skills not available within the Department) by gaining a fresh perspective on the operation of its business, and establishing links with individuals who can be a useful source of advice to the Department in the future. It also benefits the secondee by providing them with an insight into the operation of government.