The below reply to a Parliamentary Question appeared on the 10th November

Departmental Manpower

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of his Department’s headcount in each of the next three years. [79167]

Chris Grayling: Departmental headcount has been reduced by around 7,000 full-time equivalents since the beginning of the spending review in April 2011. It is estimated that headcount will continue to reduce for the remainder of this year and next year as streamlining and efficiencies are realised.

Headcount levels in the following two years, 2013-14 and 2014-15, will be significantly impacted by the planned introduction of universal credit and migration of claimants from legacy benefits. Work force plans for these years are still being developed and at this stage it is not feasible to provide an estimate of the headcount levels.