The Department for Education and Skills employs 4,270 permanent staff and 114 temporary staff, Stephen Twigg, junior minister, told the House in a written reply. The gross estimated administrative costs for 2001-02 were pound;222 million: pay amounted to pound;126m; building costs, pound;26m; and administration, pound;70m.
In a separate answer, Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, gave a more detailed breakdown of figures from 1996-97 to 2002-03, which revealed a drop in expenditure from pound;250m in 1996-97 to pound;227m in the current year. In real terms, the gross administrative costs had declined by 1 per cent over the period.
