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Written question asked by Danny Alexander (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 18 July 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 20 July 2006. It was answered by Jim Murphy (Labour) on Monday, 2 October 2006 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.


Jobcentre Plus

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what was (a) the staffing bill and (b) the overtime bill for Jobcentre Plus in each year of its operation to date.
Answer

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.Letter from Lesley Strathie:"The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what was the (a) staffing bill and (b) the overtime bill for Jobcentre Plus in each year of its operation to date. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.""The figures for total staff costs from 2002-03 to 2004-05 are taken from the published Jobcentre Plus Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which can be found in the House of Commons library.""The total staff costs recorded in the annual accounts and the overtime figures in the supporting records for the period 2002-2005 are shown below. The figures for 2005/06 are the unaudited staff and overtime costs from the draft Agency accounts."

£000
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06
Staff costs 1,712,111 1,669,766 1,757,687 1,878,128
of which:
Overtime costs 24,373 22,853 18,577 23,583

"The total staff costs include the salaries of permanent and casual staff, temporary duties allowance, overtime, superannuation costs and payment for early release schemes. There was an increase in staff costs from 2004-05 to 2005-06 of £120 million despite a headcount reduction of over 3,500 whole time equivalents. The main reasons for this were the increase in employer's pension contributions of £65 million and £60 million to fund early retirements to reduce headcount."


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
87539; 449 c2590W
Session
2005-06
Subjects
Jobcentres Expenditure
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk