The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 23 November 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by (a) the Civil Service, excluding executive agencies and non-departmental bodies (b) executive agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in (i) 1996-7and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available (102715).
Civil Service employment statistics (including executive agencies) are published in the quarterly Public Sector Employment First Release which is available on the National Statistics website (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pse0906.pdf). Table 6 of the First Release provides a breakdown of Civil Service employment by department. The latest information available is for Quarter 2 (June) 2006.
The primary source of Civil Service employment statistics changed in 2004 following a cross-government review of public sector employment statistics and the introduction of a new quarterly survey. To provide the requested breakdown of Civil Service employment for government departments and executive agencies, the Cabinet Office’s Civil Service Statistics publication has been used for 1997.
The employment statistics for Non-Departmental Public Bodies are taken from the Public Bodies Directory published by the Cabinet Office.
Civil Service employment—UK, not seasonally adjustedFull-time equivalents, thousandQuarterTotal Civil Service Of which: Civil Service excl. Agencies and NDPBsOf which: Executive AgenciesNDPBs1Quarter 1 (1 April) 19972,3496197299106Quarter 1 (31 March) 20063,452524128493Quarter 2 (30 June) 20064524241283n/a n/a = not available1 Employees of NDPBs are not part of the home Civil Service2 Civil Service statistics are sourced from Civil Service 1997, Cabinet Office—excludes employees on paid maternity leave3 NDPB statistics are sourced from the annual Public Bodies Directory 1997 and 2006, Cabinet Office. Figures for 2006 exclude bodies sponsored by devolved administrations.4. Civil Service statistics are sourced from Public Sector Employment Statistics, ONS—includes employees on paid maternity leave (approximately 3,000)Source:ONS, Cabinet Office