To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many of his staff took early retirement in the last five years; at what cost; what grades of staff took early retirement; and what percentage of each grade took early retirement. (148812)

The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

In the former DFES, there have been voluntary early severance and retirement releases. For the 2002-03 financial year to the end of the 2006-07 financial year, the total number and cost for such releases from the former DFES were as follows: