(1) Is he able to say how many full time equivalent staff were employed in (a) his Department, (b) the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, (c) the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, (d) the Department of Defence, (e) the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, (f) the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business, (g) the Department of Finance and Administration, (h) the Department of Health and Aged Care, (i) the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, (j) the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, (k) the Department of Transport and Regional Services, (l) the Department of Veterans' Affairs, (m) Airservices Australia, (n) the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, (o) the Australian Bureau of Statistics, (p) the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, (q) the Australian Federal Police, (r) the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, (s) the Australian Sports Commission, (t) the Australian Taxation Office, (u) Centrelink, (v) the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, (w) the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority, (x) Medibank Private, (y) the National Library of Australia, (z) the National Museum of Australia and (aa) the Office of Asset Sales and Information Technology Outsourcing in the provision of legal services, including legal advice, litigation, representation and legislative services, during 1998-99.

(2) Is he able to say what were the salary costs of those staff in 1998-99 itemised by Department or agency.

(3) How many legal services staff from his Department were based in each Department or agency referred to in part (1) in 1998-99.

(4) What were the salary costs of those staff referred to in part (3) in 1998-99, itemised by Department or agency.

(5) Is he able to say what were the costs of legal services provided under contract to each Department or agency referred to in part (1) in 1998-99.

(1) My Department does not maintain information on the legal services staff employed in departments and agencies in other portfolios. I am not prepared to authorise the diversion of resources that would be necessary to seek this information.

Some legal staff employed by the Attorney-General's Department are involved in the provision of legal services as described in the question. Others are involved, either in whole or in part, in the provision of policy advice and other services to government. In addition, support staff and administrative staff are employed in part in the provision of legal services.

I am not prepared to authorise the diversion of resources from other work that would be required to provide the level of detail sought by the honourable member. However, the following information outlines the general position of legal staff in the Attorney-General's Department.

The Department's annual report for the year ended 30 June 1999 records that on 30 June 1999 the Department had 127 legal staff and 57 Senior Executive Officers employed under the Public Service Act (including the Secretary). These figures reflect full time equivalent for part time staff and include temporary and casual staff, as well as paid inoperatives and those acting in higher positions as at 30 June 1999. Numbers have been rounded to whole numbers. Some of these SES officers would be involved in providing legal policy advice and legal services.

During the year ending 30 June 1999 the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS) was still part of the Attorney-General's Department but was administratively separate. The whole of its service was in the provision of legal and related services. The Department's annual report for that year records that on 30 June 1999 the AGS had a total of 619 operative and 26 inoperative staff. (For these figures, actual staff numbers were used for part timers, rather than full time equivalents.)

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) advises that 13 staff full time equivalent staff were employed in the provision of legal services to the AFP during the relevant year, including support staff.

(2) The salary costs only of SES officers in the Attorney-General's Department (excluding the Australian Protective Service) are

These amounts represent salary only and do not include amounts for superannuation, performance pay and other component of officers' salary packages.

Mean salaries for legal officers in the Department are as follows

These salaries do not include employer superannuation contributions. The amount of these contributions would depend on the fund of which the officer is a member.

AGS is wholly directed to the provision of legal services. Its salary bill for 1998-99 was $35,054,301. This amount is made up of salary and allowances, including higher duties allowance.

The Australian Federal Police advise that the salary costs of the 13 staff was $682,225.19. This amount does not include allowances or non-salary components of salary packages.

(3) AGS had the following numbers of its staff in each department or agency in 1998-99:

(4) AGS is a government business enterprise, operating in direct competition with private sector law firms. AGS was administratively separate from the Department during the relevant year, in the lead up to its establishment as a statutory authority on 1 September 1999. The salary costs of employees in the provision of particular legal services relate to AGS' cost and pricing structure which is commercially sensitive information. Because of the small numbers of AGS legal services employees involved, it is inappropriate to provide salary costs for particular agencies.

Overall, however, AGS had salary costs (excluding performance pay and superannuation) of $1,936,013 relating to the 26.01 staff referred to in the answer to question 3.

(5) While legal services provided by AGS to the Department were not provided under contract, I am advised that during the year in question the Department paid a total of $4,958,759.38 to AGS for legal and related services. This amount includes payment for legal services provided by AGS to other departments and agencies for certain Cabinet and international law work. It also includes work undertaken by AGS in providing support for the Attorney-General as First Law Officer, as well as work in relation to ministerial briefings and input into litigation policy development. The amount does not include payments made to AGS in respect of counsel fees where counsel were retained by AGS for matters involving the Attorney-General's Department.

The Department paid a further $804,095.04 for legal services from other legal services providers. This amount includes amounts paid to counsel in some matters.

The Department also made payments for legal services to both AGS and other legal services providers for legal services it obtained in some proceedings in which the costs were paid by the Commonwealth pursuant to section 305 of the Bankruptcy Act 1966. I am not prepared to authorise the diversion of resources that would be necessary to ascertain what amounts paid under section 305 relate to legal services.

The AFP advises that it paid $594,551 to AGS and $29,781 to other legal services providers. This does not include amounts paid for counsel retained by AGS.