§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which posts in her Department(a) centrally and (b) regionally are vacant; and if she will make a statement. [65632]
§ Mr. MorleyThe vacancy position in DEFRA's HQ Units (based in London, York and Guildford) as at 28 June 2002 was as follows (grades are as stated and include equivalent specialist grades):
Grade Administrative Assistants 12.5 Administrative Officers 39 Executive Officers 35 Higher Executive Officers 38 Senior Executive Officers 19 Grade 7 30 Grade 6 9 Senior Civil Service 2 Action is in hand to fill those posts for which funding has been confirmed.
The situation in core-DEFRA's regional offices (excluding its Agencies) is also subject to available funding. The regional organisations such as the Rural 700W behaviour in relation to the environment (i) in each year since 1997 and (ii) since 7 June 2001; and if she will make a statement. [65625]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Department supports several programmes to change individual behaviours in relation to the environment. They develop work undertaken before the General Election by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. These include work by the Energy Saving Trust, Environmental Campaigns Limited (incorporating the former Tidy Britain Group and Going for Green organisations), and the recipients of Environmental Action Fund grant. The "Are you doing your bit?" campaign was launched by the former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in 1998 and covers both environmental and transport topics. We have also consistently taken advantage of opportunities to promote individual action in other projects and public engagements, notably in the build-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Development Service and State Veterinary Service are currently assessing vacancies in the light of budgets for this financial year.