§ Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many employees of the Property Services Agency have been required to resign for professional incompetence in the past five years.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg)Fourteen staff who failed to meet accepted standards of efficiency have been retired. The services of another 41 have been terminated for failing to reach the required standard during probation.
§ Mr. Bruce-GardyneI thank my hon. Friend for that information. Can he tell us whether included in that number there were any members of that splendid organisation responsible for spending £93,000 of taxpayers' money on providing the Welsh Office with pot plants? If not, does he agree that on the Admiral Byng principle there is little prospect of getting much efficiency out of that organisation in future?
§ Mr. FinsbergI remind my hon. Friend that that was part of a consultant's design carried out and finally executed under the Labour Administration. My right hon. Friend and I have made it plain that we wish to see much tighter financial control over all projects.