Average expenditure on overtime for the private ministerial office of the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), in the last financial year (from 1 March 2012 to 28 February 2013) was £4,956 per official.

The Northern Ireland Office keeps all staff costs, including overtime under regular review. Overtime is only used to carry out specific work which cannot be done in normal working hours and must be authorised in advance by managers. No estimate has been made by pay grade for the total cost of overtime payments.

The House of Lords Administration is in the process of conducting a formal process of consultation with staff in Catering and Retail Services (CRS), regarding the terms of their contracts. Overtime costs in CRS were approximately £311,000 in 2011-12 and while it is recognised that paid overtime will always be necessary, it is anticipated that it can be reduced by better planning of staff time with the use of variable shift rotas, movement between outlets and the use of time off in lieu. The Administration began a formal process of consultation with CRS staff in July 2012 and these discussions are ongoing.

A night duty allowance is paid to some staff who work on a regular basis, on duties connected with the sittings of the House. Some overtime (totalling approximately £25,000 in 2011-12) is also paid in offices other than CRS. The current proposals do not affect night duty allowances or overtime worked in offices other than CRS.

The average cost per employee and the total cost of overtime payments in the Department for Transport including its six executive agencies in the last 12 months is shown in the following table:

A breakdown of these payments by each pay grade can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The information is as follows:

(a) The average salary cost per member of staff within the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice HQ, National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) for the financial years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 is set out in the table.

The average salary costs include salary, allowances, employer pension and national insurance contributions.

The average salary cost for 2012-13 available covers a nine month period only.

(b) The total cost of overtime in the Ministry of Justice has been reducing throughout 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 (April 2012 to February 2013). The amount paid out is set out in the following table:

The Department's arm’s lengths bodies have both civil servants and public appointees. They do not all receive

payment through the Department's payroll. Therefore overtime information is not held centrally for arm’s lengths bodies. It has been requested and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

The amounts spent by core DEFRA and its arm's length bodies on overtime are set out in the table. The average has been calculated using the total number of staff, as reported in each organisation's Annual Report and Accounts for 2010-11 and 2011-12, divided by total spend on overtime. Therefore calculations reflect the average cost of overtime for all staff in each body, even though not all staff were paid overtime.

It is not possible to provide a similar average for 2012-13 as staff numbers for the year have not yet been published.

[holding answer 7 March 2013]: The cost of overtime per calendar year in the UK Border Agency (including Border Force at that time) was as follows:

The information provided is for staff at Grade 6 and below in the UK Border Agency. Senior civil servants are not entitled to overtime payments.

The information requested is as follows:

Median salaries

The median salary of departmental staff, excluding the Permanent Secretary, was £35,295 in 2010-11 and £36,022 in 2011-12. Such average figures were influenced by machinery of government changes and departmental restructuring.

Figures for 2012-13 will be published in our annual report in due course. Figures for the Department's arm’s length bodies are not held centrally.

Overtime

The following table shows how my Department has significantly reduced the cost of overtime:

To place this in context, total departmental staffing costs were £106 million in 2011-12, hence overtime represents 0.4% of the pay bill in that year.

Figures for our arm’s length bodies are:

Ordnance Survey are no longer part of the Department. The Community Development Foundation, Firebuy, Infrastructure Planning Commission, Standards Board for England, Tenants Services Authority and Thurrock

Development Corporation have since closed. The Government offices for the regions, which are not included above, have also closed.

Based on current estimates (which reflect accounting consequences from machinery of government changes), the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by 41% in real terms by 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532 million over this spending review period.

[holding answer 14 March 2013]: The average cost of overtime per civil servant in the Department is given in the following table.

The information on average cost of overtime per member of staff in each of the Department's arm's length bodies is given in the following table.

The average costs per member of staff reflects all staff eligible for overtime unless otherwise stated in the notes of table.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the most recent estimate is of the average number of hours worked as overtime in each sector of the UK economy. 145127

Estimates of hours worked are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This has been presented by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 sections to provide a breakdown by sector.

"Average total weekly hours per person (including overtime)" is the total hours worked in the industry by everyone (including any overtime). So everyone in education (3.080 million people) works on average 27.5 hours per week.

"Average actual weekly hours of overtime worked by people working overtime" is the additional hours worked by people actually working overtime ie everyone in education who actually worked overtime works on average 8 hours additionally a week (this is 1.103 million of the 3.080 million being employed in the education industry).

"Average weekly hours of overtime per person" is the above but based upon that 8 additional overtime hours spread among everyone in the industry - per person/head). All estimates are for the period October to December 2012 and are not seasonally adjusted.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is indicated in the table where possible.

The information requested is contained in the following table:

The cost of overtime in the UK Border Agency in calendar year 2012 was £7.6 million.

The figure for 2012 is higher than in previous years. This is due to increased levels of overtime required as a

result of providing contingency support to Border Force leading up to the Queen's jubilee and leading up to, during and after the Olympic Games.

The information provided is for staff at Grade 6 and below in the UK Border Agency. Senior civil servants are not entitled to overtime payments.

The number of staff being paid overtime in the Department is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It is therefore not possible to provide an average cost per member of staff who claimed overtime payments.

The total overtime costs for the years in question are set out in the following table, including the forecast for 2012-13. The figures include overtime payments made

to MOD Police and the Defence Fire Service, as well as civilian industrial and non-industrial staff and civilian staff engaged locally overseas.

The total overtime costs for the Trading Funds over the years in question are in the following table:

The information is as follows:

(a) Average overtime cost per member of staff for DCMS was:

2010-11: £138.53

2011-12: £180.85 (£169.60 excluding Olympic games time costs)

2012-13 (to January 2013): £459.60 (£143.97 excluding Olympic games time costs)

(b) Total cost of overtime payments by year for DCMS was:

2010-11: £66,978.27

2011-12: £82,629.85 (£77,490.55 excluding Olympic games time costs)

2012-13 (to January 2013): £185,676.83 (£58,162.92 excluding Olympic games time costs)

The figure increased in 2012 due to the Department’s work on the Olympic games but there has been a significant saving from the recent high of 2008 where cost of spending was 310,419.21 for total overtime cost.

The Department does not collate information about overtime payments within our arm’s length bodies. Accordingly, I have asked their chief executives to write to the hon. Member. Copies of their replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The following tables set out the information requested for the Home Office and its executive agencies and its non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). For the NDPBs information prior to March 2011 is not available and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

The figures for 2012-13 year to date are high compared to the previous year. This is due to increased levels of overtime required as a result of the Queen’s jubilee and the Olympic games.

The information provided is for staff at Grade 6 and below. Senior civil servants are not entitled to overtime payments.

Figures for the Department for Education and its two arm's length bodies are as follows:

Ofsted and Ofqual are non-ministerial bodies and should be contacted directly for any information.

The total cost of overtime payments for HM Treasury and each of its arm’s length bodies are shown in the following table along with the average cost per member of staff, for the following financial years; 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. Also included in the table are the comparable figures for financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10:

The average cost per member of staff (includes all staff, not only those who made a claim for overtime payment), and total overtime payments in core BIS (including the UKTI) are shown in the following table:

All paid overtime has to be pre-approved by the line manager and the need for staff to work overtime should be on an exceptional basis.

I have approached the chief executives of the Department's executive agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.

Letter from Tim Moss, dated 1 February 2013:

I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 30 January 2013, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UTN 141470.

The (a) average cost per member of staff and (b) total cost of overtime payments in 2010/11, 2011/12, and 2012/13 was as follows:

Letter from Peter Mason, dated 1 February 2013:

I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 30 January 2013, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), about the cost of overtime payments in his Department's arm's-length bodies.

The answers to the parliamentary question for NMO, an Executive Agency of BIS, are shown in the following table:

Letter from David Parker, dated 1 February 2013:

Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the (a) average cost per member of staff and (b) total cost was of overtime payments in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its arm's length bodies in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date. (141470)

The UK Space Agency became an Executive Agency of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills on the 1st April 2011 and therefore can only report on (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date.

(a) The average cost per member of staff for (B) 2011-12 was £5.20 and the average cost per member of staff for (C) 2012-13 to date is £558.54

(b) The total cost of overtime for (B) 2011-12 was £176.82 and the total cost of overtime for (C) 2012-13 to date is £23,458.72

Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 4 February 2013:

I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 30th January 2013, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

For the Intellectual Property Office, the average cost per member of staff (full time equivalent) of overtime was:

The total cost of overtime was:

These figures reflect increased demand for patents and trade marks.

Letter from John Hirst, dated 4 February 2013:

I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 30 January 2013, U!N 141470 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The information requested in respect of the Met Office is contained in the following table:

I hope this helps.

Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 1 February 2013:

As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to reply to you in response to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills “what the (a) average cost per member of staff and (b) total cost was of overtime payments in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its arm's length bodies in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date”?

The information requested is provided in the table:

I hope this information is of use.

Letter from Malcolm Dawson, dated 1 February 2013:

I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to Parliamentary Question 141470 tabled on 30 January 2013 which asked the following:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the (a) average cost per member of staff and (b) total cost was of overtime payments in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its arm's length bodies in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date.

The total paybill (including salary and allowances, overtime, employer's national insurance and pension contributions) has been calculated and then divided by the average FTE to reach an average cost per member of staff. This figure is significantly higher than if we had used salary figures alone.

I hope you find this information useful.

Letter from Dr Richard Judge, dated 31 January 2013:

The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question what the (a) average cost per member of staff and (b) total cost was of overtime payments in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its arm's length bodies in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date.

The information requested in respect of The Insolvency Service is:

Letter from Kim Thorneywork, Skills Funding Agency, dated 6 February 2013:

Thank you for your question in asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the (a) average cost per member of staff and (b) total cost was of overtime payments in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its arm's length bodies in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date.

Please be advised of the following figures in answer to your question:

Answer to part (a):

Answer to part (b):

The information on average staff costs per member of staff and total costs of overtime payments for the Department of Health (DH) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is given in Tables 1 and 2.

The average costs per member of staff includes basic pay with on-costs such as national insurance contributions and superannuation unless otherwise stated in the tables. It reflects all staff grades on the payroll including the most senior grades.

The Department's arms length bodies (ALBs) have provided information about the average staff costs per member of staff and total costs of overtime payments. This is given in Tables 3 and 4.

Data for 2012-13 is as at 31 December 2012 unless otherwise stated.

The information is as follows:

(a) The average cost of overtime per average number of staff employed in 2010-11 and 2011-12 was:

(b) The total cost of overtime in the core Department and arm’s length bodies was: