To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the progress of his Department's programme of manpower reduction and reorganisation. (102256)

The Department continues to make progress on implementing its modernisation programme and, at the end of December 2006, had reduced staffing by 21,399 full-time equivalents since March 2004.

The Department is now over two thirds of the way to meeting the target reduction of 30,000 as set out in the Gershon Review.