§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff have been employed in the Ministerial Correspondence Unit of the Department in each of the last two years. [115870]
§ Alun MichaelWhen Defra was created in June 2001 the Ministerial Correspondence Unit consisted of eight permanent members of staff. More staff were appointed in the following months to deal with the vastly increased volume of letters received following the creation of the new Department and on the foot and mouth disease outbreak. Staff rose to a peak of 26 in May 2002 and consisted of a combination of permanent and temporary staff. The Unit currently consists of 15 members of staff, eight of whom are permanent and seven of whom are employed on casual contracts.