To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will bring forward proposals to allow contractors employed by his Department to apply for internal job vacancies advertised within his Department; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement. (152989)

In common with other Government Departments, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform recruits its staff within the Framework laid down by the Civil Service Order in Council 1995 and the Recruitment Code issued by the Civil Service Commissioners. This sets out the legal basis for our recruitment policies and practice. The principles and the Code are mandatory and must be followed when any post is opened to competition from outside the civil service. One of the fundamental principles of the Code sets out that external appointments must be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

Any contractors in my Department who have been recruited though this method may apply, subject to relevant skills and competencies, for internally advertised job vacancies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much the Department paid in fees to recruitment agencies for (a) temporary and (b) permanent staff in each year since 1997. (151667)

It is not possible to identify from the Department's accounting system, how much the Department paid in fees to recruitment agencies for (a) temporary and (b) permanent staff in each year since 1997. This information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.