asked Her Majesty's Government:

In the case of the Department for Transport, how many (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory redundancies have been taken to date as a result of the Gershon review; what is the total departmental bill for each type of redundancy; and what is the natural wastage during the Gershon period to date for the department. [HL991]

The Department for Transport and its agencies had no compulsory or voluntary redundancies since April 2004 when Gershon targets were set. It has, however, facilitated headcount reductions by undertaking voluntary early staff exit schemes, including early retirements.

Gershon targets apply only to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Central Department (DfT(C)). Since April 2004, 399 staff have left though voluntary early staff exit schemes in DVLA and DfT(C) at a cost of £38.08 million. These figures include all voluntary exits and it is not possible to identify which are directly related to Gershon and headcount reductions. During the same period, there have been 2,764 permanent staff that have left because of natural wastage in DfT(C) and DVLA.