To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department and its executive agencies and associated bodies were engaged off-payroll in each of the last five years up to the most recent period for which figures are available.
This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.
Answered on
25 March 2015
The number of off-payroll appointments made by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and its Arms Length Bodies in each of the past five Financial Years (FY) has been as follows:
FY 2009-10 - 1,815
FY 2010-11 - 1,175
FY 2011-12 - 3,171
FY 2012-13 - 4,021
FY 2013-14 - 5,632
These figures represent off-payroll appointments (headcount) made centrally under the Contingent Labour arrangements. The number of off-payroll appointees engaged through other arrangements (ie, as fee earners, consultancy or locally by exception) could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Contingent Labour is generally engaged on a temporary basis to fill vacant, funded posts until recruitment action is taken to appoint a salaried permanent member of staff. Included in this category are temporary admin and clerical workers, interim managers, and specialist contractors (in finance, HR, IT and other functions).
Information about the MOD’s senior payroll appointees (ie, those engaged for over £220 a day for more than six months) and those of its Arm’s Length Bodies has been published in the MOD's Annual Reports and Accounts since the 2012-13 Financial Year.
Access to certain forms of private-sector expertise is of enduring value to us as it does not make economic sense to maintain all the specialist skills we need permanently in-house. However we are seeking to ensure that we benefit from external expertise through skills transfer to our own staff wherever possible to help make us more self-reliant and resilient in the longer term. The current number of off-payroll appointments reflects the need to bring in, for the short term, specialist skills which cannot be found among the permanent workforce to help us implement the Levene reforms across Defence.