To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department on redundancy payments in the last 12 months. (153150)

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

We hold information centrally on a Department-wide voluntary early release scheme which was launched in March 2005, in connection with the civil service-wide reductions required under the 2004 Spending Review. The in-year cost to the Department of individuals who left over the 12-month period of Financial Year 2006-07 on voluntary terms under the MOD Early Release Scheme is £17 million.