To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost has been of recent redundancies made by the Rural Payments Agency; and if he will make a statement. (174449)

[holding answer 17 December 2007]: No compulsory redundancies have been made in the Rural Payments Agency since its creation in 2001. However the cost of the voluntary exit of staff during the Agency's recent Change Programme ending in 2006 has been £38.9 million.