To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual operating cost of the Benefits Agency in Newcastle was in the latest year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. (325337)

The Benefits Agency was replaced by Jobcentre Plus and the Pension Service in 2002; the latter has since become part of the Pension Disability and Carers Service.

Both Jobcentre Plus and the Pension Disability and Carers Service are national organisations with centralised head office functions and centrally held contracts; their financial systems do not record total operating costs in the format you have requested.