§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many toxicologists his Department currently employs; and how many were recruited in 1975, 1976, 1977 and up to 30th June 1978.
§ Mr. DeakinsMy Department currently employs 33 professional staff who are concerned with the two main fields of toxicology: medicines, and food and the environment. Of these, 25 are medically qualified and eight are scientists. Every endeavour is being made to increase and improve the service available to Government but a shortage of trained staff makes recruitment, particularly in the food and environmental field, difficult.
NUMBERS OF STAFF RECRUITED Year Medical Scientific 1975 2 — 1976 6 4 1977 4 4 1978 (up to 30th June) 2 —