Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of staff who ceased to be employed by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in the last three years have subsequently been re-employed by his Department on a temporary basis or as a third-party contractor or consultant.

In my Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, eight individuals have been identified as having left in the last three years and subsequently re-employed on a temporary basis or as a third-party contractor or consultant.

Whilst it is not normal practice to re-employ former employees on such terms, it is sometimes beneficial for the Department to be able to draw on the previous experience and skills of ex-employees in this way for short periods of time