To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2010, Official Report, column 734W, on departmental temporary employment, what the total amount spent on employing temporary staff was in each of the last three years. (324330)

The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The Department has used three agencies for the provision of its temporary staff (admin and clerical)—Adecco, Reed Employment and Hays Office Support. The contract with Adecco expired on 31 August 2007, when new contracts were established with Reed and Hays.

Total spend with the agencies:

2007/08—£1.7 million

2008/09—£3.3 million

April 2009 to December 2010—£2.0 million

For a small number of specialist temporary staff and interim managers the Department has used other agencies but information on this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.