To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed through employment agencies in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest time was for which these temporary workers were employed in each year. (102961)

Historical information on the number of staff employed through employment agencies and for how long is not available. However a recent estimate indicates the Department currently has around 120 agency staff undertaking administrative and related work with an average contract length of just over four months.

The estimated number of agency workers represents around 0.1 per cent. of total departmental staffing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether people employed (a) through employment agencies and (b) on a consultancy basis are included in the calculations for the full-time equivalent staff mentioned in his Department's annual report. (102997)

The full time equivalent staff reported in the Department's annual report are based on the Office for National Statistics definition. This definition specifically excludes staff employed through employment agencies and on a consultancy basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reduction in the number of civil servants in his Department and each of its agencies has been in each year since 2004-05, broken down by region. (109689)

[holding answer 18 December 2007]: The reduction in the number of civil servants in the Department of Work and Pensions and its agencies from 1 March 2004 (the start of the Department's efficiency challenge) to 31 March 2005 is shown in Table 1.

The reduction in staffing from 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 is shown in Table 2.