Written question asked by Andrew Bennett (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 May 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 10 June 2004. It was answered by Jane Kennedy (Labour) on Thursday, 10 June 2004 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Dept for Work and Pensions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the Health and Safety Executive is financing the revenue costs of the 12 extra Band Five posts it is internally recruiting for in the North West region of the Executive; and what their total annual revenue costs will be in a full financial year.

Answer: Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the Health and Safety Executive is financing the revenue costs of the 12 extra Band Five posts it is internally recruiting for in the North West region of the Executive; and what their total annual revenue costs will be in a full financial year. [176722] Jane Kennedy: Eleven Band 5 posts are being filled in the North West Division by HSE's internal vacancy filling process in June 2004. Eight of these posts formed part of the North West pilot project which was set up in June 2003 to strengthen HSE's front line capacity and engage with more stakeholders. To ensure that the pilot was cost neutral, a number of inspectors in the division were redeployed to other parts of HSE. Following the success of the pilot, these eight posts are being consolidated. In addition, three other Band 5 posts are being created to extend the model to the Construction Division in the North West. These will be funded through a change in the grade mix in HSE's Field Operations Directorate. The substantive filling of these posts will attract no additional costs.

Secondary information