To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of his Department’s staff are employed within each salary band; what the title and role of each position within each salary band is; and for each salary band what the (a) bonus structure, (b) retirement provision, (c) expenses provision, (d) total expenses incurred in each of the last 10 years, (e) average age of employee, (f) number of (i) women and (ii) men and (g) ethnic composition is. (171414)

The Department employs 783 staff in a wide variety of roles. It was formed as part of the 28 June 2007 machinery of government changes, taking in staff from the former Department for Education and Skills and Department of Trade and Industry. The following table sets out the numbers and proportions of men and women now employed in each of the general salary bands (percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number):

Staff undertake a wide variety of duties in support of my Department’s objectives, including some specialist roles. Titles and roles of each position and other individual information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost, but I can add the following further information on the work force: the average age of employees across the Department is 41. 50 employees (6.4 per cent.) have identified themselves as black and minority ethnic (BME) staff. Additionally, 255 (32.6 per cent.) have said that they prefer not to say or have not yet declared an ethnicity.

For staff at Grade 6 and below there is a non-consolidated bonus structure that varies according to pay agreements but is negotiated annually with the trade unions and follows Cabinet Office central guidance. For all SCS staff the bonus arrangements are determined centrally by Cabinet Office. Staff in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills participate in the general Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) determined by Cabinet Office. The PCSPS is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefit scheme. Expenses are claimed according to central and departmental guidance available to all staff. Information on individual expenses claimed in each of the last 10 years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the salary range is for each pay band of civil servants in his Department. (188798)

The Department was created as part of the machinery of government changes on 28 June 2007 and comprises employees transferred from the two previous Departments: the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Education and Skills. On transfer, the employees have retained their previous salary scales pending a common range being agreed. The current salary ranges are contained in tables which have been placed in the Libraries.