HL Deb 16 May 1984 vol 451 cc1403-5

2.48 p.m.

Lord Prys-Davies

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to recruit new staff at the Scottish Crop Research Institute and other agricultural research institutes in England and Scotland.

The Earl of Swinton

My Lords, all vacancies for scientific staff graded scientific officer or above which arise within the agriculture and food research service are trawled throughout the service in the first instance. The AFRS includes Agricultural and Food Research Council institutes, state-aided institutes in England and Wales supported by the council, and state-aided institutes in Scotland supported by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland. If no suitable candidate for a vacancy can be found within the AFRS, institutes may seek to fill that vacancy through public advertisement after seeking permission from the headquarters of the Agricultural and Food Research Council.

Lord Prys-Davies

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that information and for the assurance. However, on 29th March the Scottish Research Institute advertised externally for a scientific officer to work on chemical evaluation of the brassicae (belonging to the cabbage family) and the brassica breeding material programme, although that post had not been advertised within the service since the budget-led cuts were announced in December last. Secondly, the programme—

Noble Lords

Question!

Lord Prys-Davies

My Lords, is the Minister aware that this post was advertised externally to the service, although it had not been advertised within the service?

The Earl of Swinton

Yes, my Lords, I understand that the Scottish Crop Research Institute recently advertised in order to fill a scientific post. However, the procedure that I have described would have been gone through first, and the names of any people with appropriate qualifications and experience who were likely to become redundant elsewhere would have been considered.

Lord Cledwyn of Penhros

My Lord, is the noble Lord aware that posts have been created in this institute in Scotland and in Cambridge in respect of specialties whereas posts are being closed in Aberystwith at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station? These posts are being closed, which have been held by people for over half a century. Is this not the height of absurdity and does it not show a clear prejudice against the Welsh Plant Breeding Station?

The Earl of Swinton

My Lords, I am intrigued not only by the knowledge of the noble Lord but by the ingenuity with which he has somehow turned a question which refers purely to Scotland and England into one concerned with the Principality. I suggest to the noble Lord that there is nothing whatsoever illogical about vacancies for scientists with given skills and experience arising in one institute, while similarly qualified scientists at another institute elsewhere are no longer needed. The Corporate Plan strategy is very much concerned with concentrating major programmes of work at certain institutes while allowing institute directors to decide where to concentrate their resources in the context of the future structure.

Lord Prys-Davies

My Lords, does the Minister not agree that it is very difficult to justify a policy which de-commissions a programme at one research institute, with consequential redundancy, while another research institute considers that very programme warrants a sufficient degree of priority to cause them to advertise and recruit externally?

The Earl of Swinton

No, my Lords. As I said in the answer to the noble Lord, Lord Cledwyn, the Corporate Plan strategy is very much concerned with concentrating major programmes of work at certain institutes; and that is what is happening.