42 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Defence his plans to reduce the number of civil servants in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30624/01]

The White Paper on Defence, published in February 2000, identified a requirement for a review of the Civil Service branches of my Department, the creation of a three division structure, a new corporate services division, and a review of the staffing levels with a view to a 10% reduction in the number of Civil Service staff. Since the White Paper was published a three division structure has been put in place. The reduction in staff numbers is expected to be achieved by the end of 2004 in the context of a reduced requirement for staff in the claims branch of the Department and an increased use of information technology systems.