Departmental Staff

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 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. (102953)

The information is as follows.

*(a) Department*
	Department totals
2002-03	26
2003-04	21
2004-05	15
2005-06	3
2006-07	6

*(b) Agencies*
	Comp. Agency	Youth Justice Agency	Crown Solicitors Office	Forensic Science Northern Ireland	Public Prosecution Service	Northern Ireland Prison Service	Agency totals
2002-03	—	—	3	1	3	0	7
2003-04	—	—	3	1	3	0	7
2004-05	2	7	4	4	3	16	36
2005-06	—	10	4	12	3	9	38
2006-07	—	12	4	12	3	5	36

Information regarding (i) average and (ii) longest time for which these temporary workers were employed in each year is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Volume 457: debated on Wednesday 7 March 2007