To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff were employed by the Audit Commission, including auditors, on 31 March 2010, 31 March 2011, and 31 March 2012; and what was the cost of any changes in the staff complement.

This in an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the Controller of Audit at the Audit Commission to write to the noble Lord direct. I would add that the programme to end routine inspection and assessment, disband the Audit Commission and introduce a new local audit framework will save £650 million of taxpayers' money over the next five years.

Letter from Marcine Waterman, Controller of Audit for Audit Commission to Lord Christopher, dated 18 September 2012

Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply. The Commission employed:

1,985 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff including auditors on 31 March 2010;

1,409 FTE staff including auditors on 31 March 2011; and

1,017 FTE staff including auditors on 31 March 2012.

968 FTE staff left the organisation between 31 March 2010 and 31 March 2012, some of whom received exit packages.

The cost of changes in the staff complement (defined as the cost of exit packages paid or provided for) was:

£26.0 million for 668 staff in 2010/11. £0.2 million paid to these staff appeared in the 2011/12 accounts because actual payments exceeded the estimated provisions; and

£19.8 million for 366 staff in 2011/12, of whom 98 had left by 31 March and 268 had scheduled leaving dates. This excludes the £0.2 million explained above.

All of these figures are shown in the Commission's audited statutory accounts.

A copy of this letter will appear in Hansard.