To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Department paid in fees to recruitment agencies for (a) temporary and (b) permanent staff in each year since 1997. (151677)

DEFRA came into being in June 2001.

From information held centrally, the core-Department's VAT inclusive expenditure on personnel engaged through employment agencies since 2001 is shown in the following table.

From information held centrally, the core-Department's VAT inclusive expenditure on recruitment consultants in each financial year commencing with 2002-03 is shown in the following table.

Recruitment agency fees are captured within the expenditure figures shown but could be identified separately only at disproportionate cost. The fees vary from assignment to assignment dependent on the factors relevant to a particular engagement including but not limited to the nature and complexity of the task specification; the personal skills set of the individual required; the state of the labour market; and regional factors.

Information for the financial year 2001-02 and expenditure by DEFRA’s Executive Agencies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.