§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement about his Department's Wildlife Inspectorate.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI informed the House on 12 December 1984 that there had been serious allegations against members of the Wildlife Inspectorate. With the full co-operation of my Department these allegations were investigated by the police.
The Director of Public Prosecutions concluded on the evidence available that no criminal offence had been committed, and advised that no further action should be taken. As I told the House on 21 May, I called for a thorough review of the management and structure of the inspectorate. Subsequently, when the threat of a private prosecution had been dropped, I also asked the director of establishments to arrange for a full investigation into the specific complaints which had been made.
The investigating officer has now considered all the evidence made available to the Department, including transcripts of various tapes. He is satisfied on the evidence that the inspector concerned did not prompt or encourage others to make a criminal entry into private property, nor did he indicate that he would be prepared to supply unregistered birds to be planted on a private individual in order to obtain a conviction. The investigating officer considers, however, that there is evidence that the inspector was indiscreet and acted improperly in the way he pursued his discussions with other people, and that this exposed the Department to criticism. There were also faults of supervision on the part of his superior officer. The necessary disciplinary procedures have been instituted.
As a result of the management review, steps will be taken to strengthen the management of the inspectorate, to separate enforcement from the duties of normal inspection, and to improve the instructions and guidance which wildlife inspectors must follow.
The inspectorate plays a major and positive role in bird protection. I am satisfied that these further measures will strengthen management control and improve the inspectorate's performance, so that it is better able to deal
Local authority Number of whole-time social workers* Percentage of whole-time social workers* with a certificate of qualification† Number of part-time social workers* Clwyd 163 81.0 12 Dyfed 123 78.9 — Gwent 186 76.9 13 Gwynedd 91 64.8 17 Mid Glamorgan 224 75.4 27 Powys 38 55.3 2 South Glamorgan 194 90.2 24 West Glamorgan 149 62.4 18 *The figures include only those staff designated as senior social workers, social workers or community workers.
†This includes the certificate of qualification in social work (CQSW) of the CCETSW and also the following equivalent qualifications: qualifications in medical or psychiatric social work or family case-work obtained by specialist or applied social studies course (including the certificate of the Institute of Medical Social Workers); the certificate or subsequently the letter of recognition issued by the Central Training Council in Child Care; the certificate in social work of the Council for Training in Social Work or qualification as a probation officer.
108Wwith the increased volume and greater sensitivity of its work in bird protection, and with the new challenges arising from the implementation of CITES.