§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many civil servants are employed in work relating to agriculture; what proportion of these are dealing(a) wholly and (b) partly with farm subsidies; and what proportion each category represents of the total number of civil servants. [144252]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 8 January 2001]: On 1 April 2000 there were 10,380 staff in my Department and its Agencies. The majority of these are employed in work relating to agriculture. In England, farm subsidies are dealt with mainly by our Regional Service Centres and the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency (FRCA). On 1 April 2000, 2,173 staff worked in the nine Regional Service Centres and 600 staff in the FRCA.