asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 1 April (WA 159) concerning the number of employees in the Northern Ireland Office, what is the meaning of “the CSR07 settlement reduced the department's administration cost budget by five per cent year on year, but these reductions have been reallocated to front-line service delivery areas, so may not affect overall headcount numbers”. [HL3080]

As part of the NIO's CSR07 settlement the department had its administration budget reduced by 5 per cent year on year. This equated to administration cuts of £-2 million, £-4 million, and £-6 million across 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively, and this will result in a reduction in staffing levels to live within the reduced administrative baselines.

The money saved has been re-allocated to additional front-line service delivery programmes in criminal justice and policing. This additional funding for service delivery areas could lead to an increased staffing requirement within those areas which may mean there is no overall reduction in the staffing numbers.