The Government intends to transform the Highways Agency into a Government-owned company, as confirmed in the response to consultation published on 30 April. In accordance with TUPE principles, we expect the pay and terms of employment of all staff to remain unchanged once transferred except for the necessary technical amendments to reflect the change to company status.

Staff management arrangements for the company following transition, including pay and reward, are still being worked through within Government. We aim to establish appropriate conditions to allow the company to fulfil its functions efficiently and effectively, while keeping costs down for the taxpayer. This will reflect the Government’s pay policy, as well as support the delivery of a substantially increased investment programme.

There is no intention to encourage or create opportunities for legal tax reduction schemes as part of Highways Agency transformation.

The Government intends to transform the Highways Agency into a Government-owned company, as confirmed in the response to consultation published on 30 April. In accordance with TUPE principles, we expect the pay and terms of employment of all staff to remain unchanged once transferred except for the necessary technical amendments to reflect the change to company status.

Staff management arrangements for the company following transition, including pay and reward, are still being worked through within Government. We aim to establish appropriate conditions to allow the company to fulfil its functions efficiently and effectively, while keeping costs down for the taxpayer. This will reflect the Government’s pay policy, as well as support the delivery of a substantially increased investment programme.

There is no intention to encourage or create opportunities for legal tax reduction schemes as part of Highways Agency transformation.

From 1 June 2014, responsibility for probation provision in Essex will become the responsibility of the national probation service and the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) for Essex.

The chief executive of the CRC for Essex has been appointed, following a competition. The appointment was announced on 2 December 2013.

Network Rail is currently a private sector company limited by guarantee, and the remuneration of its executive directors is a matter for its remuneration committee and members. Under a condition of the company's network licence, it falls to the independent Office of Rail Regulation to ensure that Network Rail's bonus scheme framework is transparent, and rewards sustained and significant out-performance of the targets set for it.

With effect from 1 September 2014, Network Rail will be reclassified to the public sector. Work to decide on the best approach to governance, finance, and accounting and budgeting, including remuneration, has now begun. In advance of 1 September a Framework Agreement between the Department and Network Rail, which explains these decisions, will be published.

The National Probation Service (NPS) and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) will commence operation on I June 2014, and the process of moving staff into the new structure is nearing completion. According to information collected directly from Probation Trusts, less than 5% of posts across Trusts were vacant on 1 February 2014. These vacancies are managed as part of the business as usual process. We will continue to monitor and manage staff movements as transition to the new system progresses.

In terms of senior management posts the NOMS director of probation will be responsible for the NPS in England, with responsibility for the NPS in Wales covered by the NOMS director for Wales. In addition to these posts, there will be 7 NPS deputy directors and each of the 21 new CRCs will have its own chief executive, all of which have been appointed. Below this level, senior management posts have been filled through an expression of interest and assignment process. Under the terms of the National Agreement, all senior managers currently working within Trusts will be assigned to a role in either the NPS or a CRC.

No representatives of commercial companies have been or will be appointed to the board of Genomics England. Genomics England has appointed independent non-executive directors for their knowledge, skills and experience in their respective fields, who sit alongside representatives of NHS England and the Department.

The Government has no plans to hold corporate executives personally liable for the payment of fines levied against their organisation for corporate malpractice or negligence.

Information on staffing levels in the probation trusts by job group is collected and published in the quarterly Probation Service Workforce Information reports. The link to the latest published report on gov.uk relating to Q3 2013-14 is provided as follows:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/probation-service-workforce-quarterly-reports

The job groups that are deemed to be Senior Management are Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive and Assistant Chief Executive.

NHS England advises that it is currently undergoing a refresh of its equality and diversity data, which includes all grades. To this

end, all its staff have been asked to update their information including, if they are willing to do so, self-classifying their ethnicity, in keeping with provisions of the Equality Act 2010. The completion rate of the refresh currently exceeds 80% and is scheduled to be concluded by 31 March 2014.

In line with Cabinet Office guidance we do not publish details about individuals' protected characteristics. Given the small numbers of Board members we could not disclose the results of our monitoring, or NHS England's monitoring, without infringing the rights of the individuals concerned. Our data is included in broader data on appointments by ethnic minority background, role, and body, which have been published by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in the Annual Survey of Ministerial Appointments and Reappointments to the Boards of Public Bodies Regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. This is available at:

http://publicappointmentscommissioner. independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/130624-Final-OCPA-Statistics-2012-13.pdf

No National Health Service commissioning support units (CSUs) are functioning autonomously. All CSUs are currently hosted by NHS England and will move to independent forms by the end of 2016.

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) can choose where and how they secure their commissioning support requirements. The detail of which CCGs purchase what services from CSUs is not held centrally. However, NHS England has advised that the vast majority of CCGs, but not all, are choosing to source services from NHS CSUs, but this varies significantly across the country. On average, CCGs are spending around £12 per head of population on CSUs, from their £25 per head of population running cost allowance. The spend has, however, increased over the last year as CCGs look to CSUs to support them in developing their short and long term strategic commissioning plans and supporting the transformation of services locally.

The 18 NHS CSUs were set up from the previous system of 152 primary care trusts (PCTs) to offer support services to NHS commissioners—including CCGs and NHS England—established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. They are not separate statutory bodies and secure the entirety of their income, and hence cover their own running costs, from the support services, such as analysis, contracting, change management and back office functions that they deliver to their customers. They employ around 8,500 staff and generate a total income of £750 million. A breakdown of these figures has not been provided because this information is commercially sensitive and might jeopardise a CSU's commercial position when competing for work from CCGs or other customers. The 18 NHS CSUs will move to independent forms by the end of 2016, at which point they will sit outside of the NHS and their viability will be dependent entirely on the income they source from providing high quality and responsive services to their customers.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold information centrally on where managerial staff in CSUs have previously worked. However, NHS England advise that the vast majority of staff that deliver services within each of the CSUs have been appointed from previous roles in PCTs and other NHS organisations, ensuring the retention of key commissioning skills and experience.

The total consultancy spend by commissioning support services was £10 million from April 2013 to September 2013. This is the only period for which NHS England has data. Many of the services provided by consultancies

through CSUs are to complement the overall support offer being provided to customers, including CCGs and NHS England.

The appointment of local area team directors is a matter for NHS England. They have advised that significant experience of the national health service, across a range of areas, is expected of the individuals filling these positions. The person specification for a director role typically includes: a wide range of and breadth of experience of operating at board level in the NHS; extensive knowledge of NHS performance management and accountability frameworks; and highly specialist professional expertise in general leadership and management across the NHS.

The role of Chief of Defence Materiel (CDM) and the Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) are the same roles, with the new title reflecting the change in status of DE&S as an arm's length body. Details of salary, pension entitlement and taxable benefits-in-kind will, therefore, be set out in the MOD annual report and accounts in the normal way.

The most recent data, for the 2012-13 financial year, is set out in table 7.116 on page 75 of the report and at paragraph 7.118 on page 76. A copy of the report is available to view in the Vote Office and is also available on the internet at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-annual-report-and-accounts-201213