Written question asked by Lord Pickles (Conservative) on Thursday, 6 November 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 18 November 2003. It was answered by Yvette Cooper (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 November 2003 on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Question: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many full-time equivalent employees were employed in the Regional Co-ordination Unit (a) when it was first established and (b) in July. - Including figures.

Answer: Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent employees were employed in the Regional Co-ordination Unit (a) when it was first established and (b) in July. [138132] Yvette Cooper: 47 full time equivalent staff were employed by the Regional Co-ordination Unit (RCU) when it was first set up in summer 2000 to implement the conclusions of the Performance and Innovation Unit's "Reaching Out" report. Since then the unit has expanded, taking on new roles including business co- ordination and knowledge management, while the network of sponsors has increased from three to 10. In July 2003 there were 65 full-time equivalent employees.

Secondary information