To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have (a) been dismissed and (b) had their contract terminated by the Department in each of the last five years; what the reason cited in each case was; and what the severance costs in relation to (i) dismissal and (ii) contract termination in each year were. (290600)

HM Treasury defines a dismissal as either the termination of a permanent contract for a major breach of its terms, or the non-renewal of a fixed-term contract. HM Treasury does not provide information relating to numbers of staff fewer than five where to do so might lead to the identification of protected information concerning individual cases.

In each of the five years to 2008-09, fewer than five permanent staff were dismissed from HM Treasury. The table below shows the number and costs of non-renewals of fixed-term contracts in those years; of these 351 contracts, 167 related to staff working at HM Treasury under its student placement schemes.