To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the expected running cost of the Homes and Communities Agency will be in (a) 2008-09 and (b) each of the two subsequent years; how many staff the Agency will employ; how many staff will work on cohesion-related issues; and if she will make a statement. (245525)

The forecast full year running costs for the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) in 2008-09, and planned budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11, are £86 million per annum; in addition £4 million is being provided to the HCA in 2009-10 for transitional costs. The HCA has 789 permanent staff (‘full-time equivalent’) currently in post plus 30 staff on secondment to the HCA from my Department, from an establishment of 972 (‘full-time equivalent’). It is not possible, however, to provide an estimate of the number of HCA staff working on cohesion-related issues, as many staff working on housing and regeneration will address cohesion-related issues to some extent in their work as part of the mainstreaming of cohesion into discussions with local partners.