asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many graduates are expected to be recruited by (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; (b) H M Treasury; and (c) the Home Office in (i) the current financial year, and (ii) the financial year 2007–08. [HL7221]

There is no central record of the total number of graduates recruited by government departments.

The Fast Stream is the only service-wide graduate recruitment programme, and recruitment into it is managed by the Cabinet Office on behalf of the whole Civil Service. Departments are free to recruit graduates independently of the Fast Stream, either into graduate development schemes of their own or into mainstream posts.

Our records show that in the current financial year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office recruited 26 Diplomatic Service Fast Streamers.

Our records show that, in the current financial year, HM Treasury has taken 12 Fast Streamers, and the Home Office has taken 26.