HC Deb 08 December 1994 vol 251 cc456-7
2. Mr. Bayley

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his Ministry's new office at King's Pool, York, will open; and how many staff will be recruited from the York area to work there.

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. William Waldegrave)

The new offices at King's Pool opened on schedule on 10 October 1994. Around 250 local staff now work in these offices.

Mr. Bayley

I am told by the personnel department at King's Pool that it is well pleased with the quality of the staff whom it has recruited locally. In just over a year, the Ministry will be recruiting staff for the central science laboratory at Sand Hutton just outside York. How many local staff does the Minister expect to recruit then, and will the Ministry again give priority to providing jobs for other civil servants, principally those from the Ministry of Defence, who are being made redundant in north Yorkshire?

Mr. Waldegrave

The Ministry is, indeed, extremely pleased with the quality of people, which may surprise the hon. Gentleman. The estimate is that between 150 and 250 locally employed staff will be needed at the central science laboratory when it is completed in 1996, if it is still relevant then. As in the case of the development in the hon. Gentleman's constituency, we will see whether we can employ people, particularly from the Ministry of Defence, in the area where we have taken on a number of people—about 100, I think.

Mr. David Nicholson

I commend the ancient northern capital to my right hon. Friend, as my wife was at university there. Will he ensure that his Department's officials, wherever they are located, work hard in conjunction with those in the Department of the Environment on studying where the next generation of farmers will come from, particularly as so many present farmers are near retirement and many sons and daughters—

Madam Speaker

Order. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will explain to me—but later—how that refers to the area of York. It was a good try, but even in the season of good will, I cannot allow that.

Mr. Nicholson

I am referring to the work of officials situated at York.

Madam Speaker

The hon. Gentleman might make that clear at the beginning. We are not terribly interested where his wife was educated, provided that she was educated.

Mr. Nicholson

I am grateful to you, Madam Speaker.

Will my right hon. Friend's officials at York work hard on this important matter and will they pay particular attention to the problems posed for the new generation of farmers by the present price of leasing milk quota?

Mr. Waldegrave

My officials based in York and elsewhere will, of course, take those matters seriously. I can assure my hon. Friend that the strength of the young farmers clubs in the area of York means that there is a supply of good farmers coming from that neighbourhood.