To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of posts in his Department have been recategorised from back office to frontline posts as classified by the Gershon efficiency review in each year since 2004. (172259)

The Northern Ireland Office is committed to achieving work force reductions of 1,446 posts by the end of 2007-08. This is a net target and no posts will be reallocated to the frontline as part of it.