To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Welsh speakers his Department employs. (162898)

The information requested is not held centrally and would involve a manual check of all staff records which would incur a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the full-time equivalent headcount in his Department is; what the forecast full-time equivalent headcount for his Department is for (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. (163975)

Full time equivalent (FTE) headcount for the Ministry of Justice is published in the ONS quarterly work force statistics. The latest data (published on 12 September, relating to staff in post at 30 June 2007) show that 79,920 FTEs work in the Ministry of Justice.

Forecasts for the years 2008-09 and 2009-10 are currently being reviewed, in the light of the comprehensive spending review settlement announced on 9 October 2007.