HC Deb 16 May 1990 vol 172 cc408-9W
Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment has been made of the success or otherwise of the system of three-year contracts at the AFRC institutes, as to whether personnel starting on a three-year contract fulfil that contract.

Mr. Jackson

The Agricultural and Food Research Council has recently reviewed all short-term appointments at its institutes. The majority of these appointments are three-year contracts. The results of the review indicate that AFRC's policy of recruiting staff on short-term appointments is successful and that the majority of personnel appointed in this way completed their contract.

Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the selective scientific effectiveness of (a) those on three-year contracts attached to A FRC institutes and (b) those on core programmes.

Mr. Jackson

Responsibility for such assessments falls essentially to the Agricultural and Food Research Council itself. I understand that the council maintains a rigorous assessment of programmes and their effectiveness at its institutes by means of four-yearly visiting groups and annual reviews. This includes core programmes and three-year contracts, whether funded by the council itself or by industry.